


We're Not His Parents!

by Lucicelo



Category: Junjou Romantica, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Babies, Babysitting, Cuddling, Cupcakes, Drabbles, Drawings, Family Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mamadera, Nametag, Overprotective "Parents", Papano, Setting up the "parents", Wish Fulfillment, adorable kids, naps, one shot series, visits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2018-08-23 08:37:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 24,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8321170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucicelo/pseuds/Lucicelo
Summary: The one day Onodera thought he had time to babysit his cousin's baby, Takano called him back to work. Without any alternative, he brought in the baby to his job. Ryota's presence somehow convinced the whole department that he magically had Takano's baby.





	1. Start

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I would write nostalgia but I remembered this AU where Onodera and Takano sort of adopt Onodera's cousin's baby. I found the archive on the ask blog I sent these headcanons too. Those who frequent the sih and jr blogs on tumblr know which dirty confessions blog I'm talking about. Oh man this was around last year when this came to mind but I want to write fluff. Either way, this is more of a drabble series.

Hanako Amaya __née__ Onodera, handed her diaper bag into Onodera's awaiting arms. Her arms felt lighter without the over packed bag but preparation was key. She heard him grunt about the weight, she gave him a sheepish smile. Her comment on his weak muscles went unsaid but the implication remained. Onodera shrugged his shoulders and placed it on the shoe rack. Playing off the strain it gave his arms when he held it, he laughed, joking about the contents of the bag.

She maneuvered the stroller inside of the the apartment, careful in keeping the jostling down to a minimum. Onodera helped her move it up into the wooden flooring and set it aside. The baby giggled from behind the plastic covering over the front of the stroller. This prompted Hanako to remove the covering, giving Onodera a view of the smiling little boy. 

Onodera awed, he reached out his hand and caressed those chubby cheeks. "Oh wow, you're way bigger now than the last time I saw you. You even have a full head of hair now. I know your mother hid your baldness with beanies and hats." Hanako nudged Onodera but didn't hide her amused smile. "How old is he again? Seven months?"

Hanako checked the undercarriage of the stroller for any misplaced items. "Nine months old." She straightened herself up and smoothed down her slacks. 

"So...can he sit up now?"

"Oh yeah. He can sit up, babble vowels, and hold his head upright. He can crawl around now so I suggest keeping an extra eye on him."

"Will do." Onodera stuck his tongue out at Ryota and did some funny faces. "Oh! So he might walk?"

"Don't hold any hopes on that happening." Hanako checked her phone for the time. "Thank you so much for doing this for me." Hanako fought the urge to rub her hands on her face. She caught her appearance in the hallway mirror and noticed strands of hair peeking from her bun. She scrambled in fixing it up. "I called multiple people and everyone is busy. I wouldn't have sprung Ryota on you if I didn't have someone to watch him. My husband got called into work as well."

Onodera smiled as he unbuckled Ryota and scooped him out. Ryota's little hands tapped his cheeks and wiggled in his arms. "It's no problem. I don't mind looking after the little guy. He's so calm and happy. He makes my job a lot easier. We'll even take a long nap after lunch is over."

"Remember, Ryota loves his little stuffed kitty. _Never_ forget to have it on you at all times." Hanako advised Onodera as she brushed Ryota's black wisps of hair to the side. "His feeding and sleep schedule is in the diaper bag. I put in jars of his usual baby food and formula. There's some new outfits in case he spits back up his food or poops through his diaper. Um...what else am I forgetting?"

Onodera assured his frazzled cousin before she rambled on. "Hanako, it's okay. I'm sure Ryota and I will be alright for today. It's not like I'm going anywhere." He nuzzled his nose against Ryota's cheek, causing the baby to giggle. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure you didn't forget anything. Besides, there's a convenience store in the corner to buy anything that's missing." 

Hanako kissed Ryota's forehead and held Onodera in a light embrace. Her relief showed through every inch of her form. "Thank you again, I owe you big time for this favor. I'll give you a call if I have to stay in longer at my job. I told Ryuusuke that you have Ryota for the day."

"Is he going to pick him up?"

"I'm not sure, it depends on who finishes their work first." Hanako fiddled with her blazer and inspected her bag. "Don't be surprised when he rings your doorbell."

Onodera held onto Ryota's hand and used it to wave at her. "Okay. I'll give you updates if anything happens. Probably every few hours so I don't disturb you. I'll see you later, Hanako-chan."

"Bye, Ritsu! Bye, Ryo-chan!" She shut the door and her footsteps disappeared the more she ran down the hallway.

Onodera smiled as he poked Ryota's nose. "How about a small lunch?" Ryota gurgled in response. "Alright! Do you like noodles? What am I saying? I'm sure you're used to mashed veggies. Here's hoping your mom made them taste good. Unseasoned vegetables is just not done."


	2. Call in

Onodera found spending the day with Ryota a fun experience. Playing with different toys on the floor brought out his inner child. Adult responsibilities stifled his imagination and freedom. Having a child to play with brought back memories of his fondest memories. He laid alongside Ryota who rolled around, babbling random words. The extra plastic toys in the bag kept Ryota more than entertained. It helped that Onodera finished his usual errands before Ryota made his appearance. He didn't need to leave the kid alone for any long period of time. 

He finished his lunch before feeding Ryota. A simple bowl of rice with fresh raw salmon on top. Remembering his own reservations over veggies, he thought the baby might fuss over vegetables. To his surprise, Ryota ate every single bite and smiled throughout the meal. He wiped the last bit of mashed carrot from Ryota's face and dropped the wet wipe into the trash. Grabbing the stuffed kitten, he handed it into Ryota's outstretched arms before setting him on the mat which came in the diaper bag. 

Hanako overdid herself in her careful preparation methods. It reminded him of her nesting period before she gave birth. She inspected her home and nursery to the smallest detail. Anything needed for a happy baby was in the diaper bag. When he first carried it, he was surprised at the heaviness. No wonder Hanako's strength grew after having her baby. She integrated a new baby into her life and built around his needs. The fact she managed to fit everything showed how often she prepared herself for the unexpected. 

He returned to the kitchen and cleaned the dishes, laying them on the mat to dry. Shaking his hands out, he patted them dry on his shirt. His phone rang in the living room so he went back inside. He smiled at Ryota as he rolled over his mat, his hands up in the air. Chuckling at his behavior, he reached to the desk and removed the charger from the phone. 

Onodera checked the I.D, he grimaced. "Ugh, it's him. What could he possibly want?" He pressed the answer button and placed his phone against his ear. "What do you want Takano-san?"

Onodera stood at the threshold, watching Ryota slam his hands over a plastic play piano. Each time he hit certain buttons, bright lights blinked. Onodera thanked the makes of the toy for making the volume low for others to enjoy. He sort of listened to Takano until the end of his sentence brought out his alertness. 

"What do you mean I have to come in today?!" Onodera exclaimed, he lowered his voice, thinking he might scare Ryota. "Listen here, I left my work on your desk before I went home. There was _extra_?! Why didn't you say anything? Oh no, I would have known if it was on my desk. Kisa-san didn't tell me anything when he stayed behind. Look, I actually have something to do today. I _can't_ come in!"

"Ba!" Ryota slammed his hand on the button, a song began playing, he clapped his hands in delight. "Ri!" He pouted when the familiar face of his caretaker didn't arrive fast enough. " _RI!_ "

Onodera winced at the accusatory tone from Takano. These bursts of jealousy either annoyed him or brought an annoying twinge in his chest. "There's no man hanging around in my apartment. I have a life outside of work! Why do you give a da—" He snapped back. " _Shut up_! Alright, alright, I'm on my way."

"Fudge, _fudge, FUDGE_!" Onodera censored himself in case Ryota sponged any swear words in his mind. "Why did he have to call me in on my day off?! That slave driver! He lives to torture me!" He snatched the toys and tossed them in the diaper bag. 

"Ah." Ryota whined from his spot on the floor. 

"I'm so sorry." Onodera crouched down and patted down Ryota's hair. "Might as well take you with me to work. I promised your mom you'd stay with me all day. I don't even know my neighbors well enough to leave you with them. Hanako would flip if she knew I left you with strangers. What do you think? Want to come with me to work?"

Ryota showed him a big smile. "Ah!"

"Good. We should hurry up then. Takano-san will be pis—annoyed that I didn't run into the office practically sweating bullets." Picking Ryota up in his arms, he went to the front door. "Let's put you in your stroller."

Once he finished strapping Ryota in, he collected the diaper bag and placed the strap over his shoulder. Hearing Ryota's whimpering, Onodera cursed under his breath at forgetting the stuffed animal. He retrieved it and placed it in the baby's arms. Running into his room, he yanked up his work bag and inspected him pockets for his wallet and cellphone. After he made sure he had everything, he moved them out of the apartment. Shutting the door, Onodera made a break for the elevator.

They made it to work in one piece. 

To his relief, Ryota slept on the journey to Marukawa. According to the paper in his bag, Ryota slept an hour after he finished his lunch. Right on schedule. He reacted to none of the noise. A nearby crying infant didn't disturb Ryota into his own crying fit. He snoozed away. Drool leaked out the corner of his mouth as he clung to his stuffed cat. Unassuming and adorable. Onodera melted at the sight. 

He received looks from the front desk who watched him go straight into the elevator. They stared at the covered stroller and large diaper bag over his shoulder. This kept happening until he made it to his desk. He saw none of his coworkers, making it easier for him to come up with an excuse. The gossip mill ran rampant in Marukawa. The right employee spread the news to the right people and it became common knowledge. It depended on the reliability of the person in question. 

Onodera rubbed his temples at the sight of a new pile of papers on his desk. He swore he had no prior work which needed any finishing. He checked his phone and saw no missed messages or calls from his coworkers. Unless, their department received an early fax of the latest project they worked on. Slumping on his chair, he placed his cheek on top of his work. 

"Ri-chan?" Onodera jumped in surprise, looking up from his desk, he saw Kisa's dumbfounded face. Kisa's gaze wandered to the carriage and back onto him. "Why do you have a baby with you?"

 

 


	3. Comparisons

Onodera's mind short circuited. He turned his gaze from the stroller toward Kisa's confused face. A moment later, he scrambled up and pulled Kisa closer to his desk. He managed to maneuver Kisa around the stroller before it moved. Kisa yelped from the sudden action and almost tripped over a stack of books on the floor.

Kisa exclaimed in surprise. "Ricchan!"

Onodera lowered his voice. " _Shh!_ Don't speak so loud. I managed to get him to sleep on the way over here." He let go of Kisa and checked through the plastic covering, Ryota remained asleep. " _Phew._ I think all that playing we did back home tuckered him out. I don't think he dirtied his diaper yet. I don't smell anything."

"Ricchan, I didn't know you had a baby." Kisa pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought we told each other everything. All this time working together and you didn't have the heart to tell me. There's nothing wrong with having a baby out of wedlock. Mino-san has a son too."

"He's not _mine_! Well...not technically, I am related to him."

Kisa motioned for him to continue, impatient for his explanation. "And?"

"He's my cousin's son, Ryota." Onodera opened the plastic covering, revealing the baby. "I was supposed to be at _home_ babysitting him. The tyrant called me after I finished giving him his lunch. I have him for the whole day and I didn't want to disturb Hanako at her job. Besides, I wasn't going to leave him to neighbors, I don't even know them."

Kisa soaked in the baby's features, his limited experience with babies kept him at a distance. He found Ryota adorable but he didn't want to have the baby cry because of him. A realization hit him and he blurted out in astonishment. "You do know he looks like a lot like the boss right?"

"Eh?!"

Kisa elaborated. "His hair for example, it's the same shade of black. He even has that deep set frown that Takano-san uses whenever he's yelling at us to finish our work. Hmm..he might even have the same yell as him as well."

"No, he does not! He looks like _Ryuusuke_ , not _Takano-san_." At Onodera's exclamation, Ryota woke up, giving his own little yell. "Da—Darn, I woke him up."

Kisa deadpanned. "Ricchan, stop being delusional. He looks a lot like the boss." He looked back at the baby and noticed the bright green eyes and he snorted. "He has your eyes. You know he looks like your love child, right?"

"W-Why do you say that?"

"You're in a relationship with Takano-san. Am I right? I mean the signs are all there." Onodera stammered a lame retort, Kisa continued on. "You guys can play house with little Ryo-chan here. He can be the daddy and you're the mommy."

"No!" Ondoera's face turned bright red. "Stop saying such things. Anyway, let me try to get him back to sleep and we can get to work." He unbuckled Ryota from the stroller and propped him up. 

Mino and Hatori entered the area, their conversation ceased at the sight of the stroller. Mino placed their cups of coffee on their desks and bee-lined toward the baby. His smile grew bigger at the sight of Ryota's smiling face. Hatori followed suit, surprised at seeing a child in their area. 

"Who's this little guy?"

Onodera collected himself and answered. "Ryota. Before you get the wrong impression, he's my cousin's baby, not mine." 

Mino nodded his head. "Ah, okay." He leaned down and pinched Ryota's cheeks. "Hello, Ryota. It's a pleasure to meet you. My, you have such a nice smile."

Kisa grinned. "He's going to be a heart stopper when he grows up."

Hatori addressed Onodera. "Are you sure you can multi-task taking care of the baby and your work? We have a deadline to reach later on this week."

Onodera sighed, watching Ryota from the corner of his eyes. "I didn't know I was coming into work today. I counted on staying home all day today and looking after him. His mom didn't have anyone else willing to look after him. I tried telling Takano-san that I was too busy to come into work today. He demanded I come in anyway, I had no other choice."

"I understand." Hatori glanced at the giggling baby. "He seems like an easy one to take care of."

"Yeah, kids have it so much easier than us." Onodera rubbed the back of his neck, he went to his desk and shuffled his work into smaller piles. "What exactly do we have to get finished today?"

Mino and Kisa returned to their desks but spared a minute to gain Ryota's attention. Everyone settled in a decent pace, checking over pages, waving at the energetic baby. Ryota was distracted with the pink colors and plush animals littering the department. No one grew annoyed at his babbling or noises when he tried reaching for something. As the closest one, Onodera handed him one of the toys without any choke able hazards on it. 

Their sudden work flow lasted for five minutes before Onodera stood up from his desk. Finding no other choice, Onodera clasped his hands in front of him and bowed. "Please, look after Ryota while I go to the bathroom? He's easy to look after and I'll try to come back real quick."

Mino smiled. "I find no problem with looking after him. He's already entertained enough."

"Thanks! Oh and don't forget to keep that cat toy in his sight. He might start crying."


	4. Takano Meets Ryota

A ear splitting scream broke through the department. Mino, Hatori, and Kisa broke their concentration from their work and raised their heads. Turning their attention to the stroller, they saw little feet kicking the air. A bottle flew out and fell onto the floor. Kisa got up on his feet and hurried over to Ryota. He cringed at the scrunched up face and loud cries.

Kisa lifted Ryota from the stroller. He tried the bouncing method to calm him down but it did nothing. "You hold him!" Kisa panicked and handed Ryota into Mino's hands. "You're the one with the kid. You know how to handle situations like this better than us. Quiet him down before Takano-san comes to investigate."

Hatori went to pick up the stuffed animal laying next to the stroller. "We can't keep Ryota a secret for long. I'm surprised Takano-san hasn't come back yet."

Mino bounced Ryota in his arms and hummed a lullaby. He remembered his mother use this song whenever he used to fuss. Having heard his own son cry, the sound didn't bother him much. He noticed Kisa kept his hands over his ears. Hatori moved the stuffed cat to gain Ryota's attention. Ryota clung onto his familiar plush. The cries lessened into whimpering.

"There we go, there was no need to cry." Mino ticked Ryota's sides, he turned him around and sat him down on his lap. "I think he wanted someone paying attention to him. We did go back to work when he quieted down. I remember my son used to cry for no reason. It happens more often then you'd think."

Hatori shook his head. "He stopped when I handed him that cat. Onodera did warn us not to let it fall from the stroller."

Kisa huffed. "Who knew such a loud sound could come from such a cutie?" He reached out and shook Ryota's hand. "Think we can leave him on the ground for a bit? He can't stay in the stroller the whole time. We have to get back to work."

Hatori yanked the diaper bag onto the table with ease. He unzipped the bag and noticed a rolled up mat in the contents. "We can place this mat far away from the books. It's not like he'll be out of our sight."

"Good idea!" Kisa grinned, let go of Ryota's hand and stood alongside Hatori. "Oooh, does he have any toys?"

"What pages have you slackers finished?! We have to send these out before the day is over!" Takano made his appearance, the loud volume caused Ryota to cry out loud. "What the—" Takano saw the fussing baby in Mino's arms. "Since when do you have another kid?"

Mino bounced Ryota in his lap to calm him down. "He's not mine. I have my hands full with my own son. I don't really have time for another child in my life. You see, Onodera-san left him with us while he went to use the restroom."

Takano's eyes narrowed. "Why did he bring a baby to work?"

Kisa answered. "He planned on taking care of Ryo-chan for today. This was supposed to be his day off after all. He had no choice but to bring him along." He saw Takano's dark expression and it confirmed what Onodera tried to deny earlier. "Before you ask, this is Ricchan's cousin's baby."

Takano visibly deflated. "I see. What's his name?"

Mino piped up. "Ryota."

Takano's lips quirked at the happiness exuding from the baby. "Hand him over. You all have to get back to work. You've wasted enough time looking after him." Mino passed the baby in his arms, who started touching his face with light hits. "Those better not be a slaps. You do that to enemies not friends."

Mino returned to his desk and watched the interactions in amusement. Hatori and Kisa followed his example. They found watching their boss handling a child so fascinating. Out of all the reactions they expected, Takano doting on the baby was unfamiliar territory. Takano showed no awkwardness or fear whenever Ryota showed signs of crying. In fact, he soothed Ryota and managed to make him giggle.

"Sorry!" Onodera ran in, crouching down, he took in deep breaths. "I had to go into another floor to use the bathroom. The one on this floor had a huge line going down the hall. I didn't want to let you guys wait a long time for me." His face blanched at the sight of Takano holding Ryota in his arms. "O-Oh you're back from your meeting with Isaka-san."

"Onodera! Explain yourself." Takano demanded. The intimidation factor lessened from the cooing coming from Ryota. "We're in the middle of working on a project. This is no place for a child to run around in. What were you thinking bringing him here?!"

Onodera glared up at him, he kept his voice at an even level. "You're the one who called me in out of nowhere. How was I supposed to know that we'd get a new influx of work? I couldn't leave him at the apartment without supervision. Hanako will never let me look after him again."

Kisa repeated his earlier comment just to stop them from arguing. This constant back and forth gave him a slight headache. "You know, he looks like the both of you. Sort of like he's your son or something. Isn't that right guys?" Mino and Hatori agreed from their seats.

Takano inspected Ryota's appearance, noting his bright green eyes and dark hair. This child showed a lot of their physical characteristics. He even had Onodera's smile. A perfect blend of the both of them. The idea of him and Onodera having a family never entered his mind. He wanted nothing more than to make it a reality.

Takano ruffled Ryota's hair. "What do you know, he does look—"

" _Lies!_ " Onodera intercepted and put out his hands. "Hand him over."

Takano scoffed, he shielded Ryota away from Onodera. "You have work to do. I'll keep him with me until you're finished." Takano walked toward his seat, leaving Onodera shell-shocked. He addressed Ryota in a softer tone. "Let's watch these guys work until they drop. We can handle phone calls. I'm sure your cuteness will shut them up."

"Uh!"

Takano bopped Ryota's nose with a tap. "That's the spirit." He glanced back at his underlings. "Now, where is his stuff? He's not sitting on this disgusting carpet."


	5. Request

Once Onodera returned home, he left the stroller at the entrance and carried Ryota inside. He went to his bedroom and set Ryota in between two pillows. From the excitement of the day, Ryota slumbered, content in his dreams. The twitches of a smile brought an awe out of Onodera. Leaving the door open, he went into the living room, collapsing onto his couch. Sighing, he covered his eyes with his forearm. Working on his day off didn't turn out as bad as usual.

Ryota distracted Takano far too well. Takano lessened the brunt of his voice, smiled at Ryota, and overall, treated his underlings better than usual. A less tense atmosphere enveloped their department, hence, making their workday go faster. They kept the realization to themselves. Invoking Takano's wrath brought on another wave of work onto their endless piles on their desks.

When he left, everyone requested him to bring Ryota back. At least, once in a while where their work load didn't require all their attention. Takano didn't object to the idea, he demanded another visit when he walked him out. Ryota captured the hearts of everyone in his department through giving cute smiles.

He grabbed his remote and turned on his tv. Clicking through the channels, he grew bored at the programming quite fast. He went to his usual channels but nothing popped out to him. Turning off his tv, he slumped against his couch and looked through his phone instead.

"I'm back!" Onodera heard Hanako exclamation from the front door, the door clicked as it closed. "I brought a nice strawberry dessert for my most favorite cousin in the whole world. I even got your favorite canned coffee on the way here. Where are you guys?"

"I'm in the living room!" Onodera drooled at the prospect of cake, he had not eaten cake in months. "Ryota is sleeping in my room."

Hanako appeared, holding a plastic bag in her hands. "Thanks for getting him to sleep for me. I thought I had to give him a feeding to get him to sleep or a bath. Thanks again for looking after him."

"No problem. I love the little guy." Onodera accepted the bag as Hanako went into his bedroom. "By the way, I had to take him with me to work."

"You took him to your job?" Hanako returned and placed Ryota into his stroller. "I thought that wasn't allowed? Besides, I thought you told me that today was your day off?"

Onodera bit his bottom lip. "My boss called me and gave no choice in saying no."

" _Yikes._ " Hanako gave him a pitiful look. "My boss is the same way. She runs us ragged and doesn't give a damn for excuses. I think she has a bed in our floor, the woman seems to live there or something." She patted his shoulders. "Thanks for not leaving Ryota with total strangers. He didn't give you guys any trouble right?"

"Not at all. He stayed with my boss for most of the day. He handled him without any problems. Ryota loved the decorations in my office. He kept trying to grab at the ornaments we keep."

Impressed, Hanako grinned, nudging Onodera. "Ah, another future dad in the making then? You two can share tips on how to handle children."

Onodera blushed. "Hanako! I don't want to fathom comparing any sort of tips with my boss!"

Hanako laughed out loud. "He can't be so bad."

"He's a tyrant and butts into my business." Onodera explained. "He loves to add more work onto my desk whenever I'm done. "

Hanako arched a brow. "You could always transfer into another department if you hated this guy so much. I distinctly remember you wanted to enter literature and you got stuck in shojo manga. From the way I see it, it's almost like you enjoy the attention he's giving you."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah right." Hanako rolled her eyes. "Tell him off or something. It's not that hard."

Onodera quipped. "Would you tell off your boss?"

" _Touché._ " Hanako checked on Ryota and muttered. "This kid sleeps like a rock."

Onodera gathered his wits and asked her. "Is it alright if I bring Ryota back into the office? I don't mind taking care of him more often. He's such a chill baby that he doesn't cause trouble or cry." He trailed on until he averted his gaze from her.

Hanako narrowed her eyes, she covered the front of the carriage with the plastic sheet. "Why? I thought your work was stressful enough without outside interference. A baby needs constant attention. I thought Ryota's visit was a one time thing."

"He stops my jerk of a boss from yelling at us." Onodera admitted, he hunched his shoulders. "I know, I know, I'm sort of using Ryota but Takano-san bonded with him. Everyone in my department seemed bummed out when I left with him. They fell in love with him and want to have him around."

Hanako snorted. "I'm sure Ryota gets the charming aspect from his father." She thought about it. Finding a huge benefit in letting Onodera babysit more often. "If it's alright with your superiors, I see no problem with letting you take him. I'll even add in another bag in his stroller." She bemoaned. "If only my boss had a soft spot for babies. We'd be living the dream."


	6. Rumors

Isaka shifted through his usual morning duties, his head nudging down from the sudden spells of sleep. Reaching out to his right, he cupped his mug and gulped down bitter coffee. Cringing at the lack of sugar and coffee. Asahina left this particular dark brew for the morning. It perked him right up and shot a burst of energy through his body. Preventing him from dozing off on his desk and having someone finding him in such a predicament. The head of the company sleeping on his desk provided an awful image.

Going through a string of phone calls, he laid back on his chair. Letting out a groan and he stretched up his arms above his head. Asahina placed another set of folders in front of him, bringing him to pout. He already imagined himself working through lunch yet again. Asahina wouldn't let him leave his office before he finished his work load for the morning.

Asahina brought in snacks for him to tide the time until lunch. He caught a glimpse of his lunch before he left home. He drooled just thinking about it. Asahina prepared his favorite food and added a dessert this time. This pumped him up and he whirred through his work. It gave him pleasure to see the piles lessen down.

A knock on the door interrupted them. "Mind if I come in?" Aikawa peeked through the open door. "I finished sending sensei's new book to the printers and I have some free time to spare."

Isaka waved her in. "Eri-chan! How's dealing with Akihiko's foul mood?" Aikawa sent him a scathing look as she walked inside. "No need to glare at me, his sales have stayed consistent. I'm sure you're dealing with his quirks without a problem." He scooted his cup of coffee closer to him and picked it up.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing we came into an understanding and he puts out more BL novels. His new couple is such a delight to read about!" Aikawa added in with a big smile. "Oh, didn't you hear the latest news? Onodera-san is a father!"

Isaka gagged at the taste of his cold cup of coffee. "I didn't know Onodera had a baby. How cruel of him not to tell me about his child. I thought we had a connection going on between each other. I would have sent him a nice gift to congratulate him. Hmm...maybe a nice fruit basket with seasonal fruit. Asahina, is he married? I don't think I got an invitation to his wedding."

Asahina shook his head. "Onodera-san is not married. In fact, I heard this baby rumor spreading in the last month. I thought it was blown over proportion and paid little attention to the details. I found no importance in having to tell you. We have gone through a busy month and rumors are the last thing to focus on."

Isaka huffed. "That doesn't mean you had to keep silent about it. Why am I always the one out of the loop?! Oh well. Who's the mom?"

"In my humble opinion, Onodera-san is in the mother role. Takano-san is the one who molded into the father role. He's the one usually taking care of the baby while everyone else is working. Although, that could make Takano-san the mother as well." Aikawa squealed. "It's almost like Takano-san and Onodera-san are a family unit. Oh my goodness, you should see the baby. He's like a perfect blend of the both of them!"

Isaka drummed his fingers on his desk. "Is the kid disturbing their workflow? I don't mind kids but we run a company here. I don't want to have any late manuscripts turned in because these guys are distracted."

Asahina informed him. "They have finished their projects way faster than the last installment. I'm assuming the child has inspired their sudden increase in workflow. I see no problem in a visit in between projects."

Aikawa nodded her head. "I'm sure that's what they are doing now. I don't see the baby all the time. He brings the baby once every two weeks or once a week. The nearby departments hear the giggling from their desks so they know the baby has arrived. I think I'll corner him and ask where he got the baby in the first place."

Isaka slapped his knee as he laughed. "C'mon, you're acting as if Onodera would steal a kid or something."

Wanting to stop Isaka before his imagination went wild, Asahina told him. "He's Onodera's cousin's child."

Aikawa and Isaka turn to him in astonishment. Isaka scowled. "I thought you said that you paid little attention to rumors."

"It doesn't mean I can't gather information."


	7. Fruit Basket

Onodera downed the last gulp of his espresso and dropped it in the trashcan. He cringed at the bitter taste but the energy made the lack of sweetness worth it. Trudging back to his desk, he sat down, dreading having to edit these pages. Everyone else slouched over their desks, their eyes gaunt from the lack of rest. His hands rapid in the quest of finishing off their newest project. Overturned coffee cans and snacks littered the floor.

Takano left them to retrieve another set of papers from their fax machine. Giving them an idle threat before his departure, his words kept them from trying to slack off. Onodera ran to their floor's vending machine which mainly included coffee and bought himself one. He risked getting reprimanded from leaving his desk but he felt himself dozing off. He'd get his head chewed off even worse if Takano caught him sleeping.

Onodera handed his finished folder toward Kisa who grunted a thanks. He moved onto the next one. In his mind, he hoped that the pile reduced down through some saving grace and put them out of their misery. Rubbing his temples, he started working, swearing under his breath at the immediate mistake.

A booming and happy voice exclaimed. "Hello everyone!"

Onodera broke away from his work and turned his head to the door. Recognizing the president, he tried smiling but knew it strained from his tiredness. "Isaka-san?"

Isaka slammed a huge fruit basket onto Onodera's desk, exclaiming with exuberant energy. "Congratulations on your baby boy!" He took out a folder brimming with papers. "These are well wishes from the other departments! The ladies really decorated their cards to the max."

Onodera's face flushed in mortification, he stood up from his chair. "I-Isaka-san! I don't have a baby!"

For the first time in days, Mino and Kisa burst into laughter. Kisa laid his head on Mino's shoulders, his shoulders shaking in amusement. Hatori hid his mouth behind a book, the crinkling around his eyes showed his emotions. Onodera glared back at them with little effect. They laughed even harder.

Isaka placed his hands on his hips. "You don't, do you? I got a good source who told me about your little bundle of joy. Trying to hide him from me?" Onodera shook his head in denial. "I want to see a picture of him. You're bound to have multiple pictures on your phone right? C'mon, you can show me."

"I-I-" Onodera stuttered out as Takano returned into their department, holding a new folder tight in his grasp. "Takano-san! You're back!"

"Ugh?" Takano grunted.

Isaka turned around, his grin blinding to Takano's tired gaze. "When were you going to tell me about your kid?"

"Kid?" Takano removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Your lovechild with Onodera-san here." Isaka presented the fruit basket, overfilled with expensive fruits. "I brought this over as a gift."

Takano peeked over at Onodera who did an x with his arms. A idea formed in his head. He confessed without missing a beat, his slight smile showed his affection for their _baby_. "I apologize for not informing you about _our_ son." Onodera sputtered in disbelief. "Ryota doesn't cause a big interruption in our department. He misses having us around."

"Ah, so his name is Ryota?"

"Takano-san! Stop talking!" Onodera exclaimed, he turned to Isaka and tried pleading his case. "I think you're misunderstanding everything that's going on here. Ryota isn't our son. He's my cousin's kid."

Isaka grinned. "No need to be embarrassed." He slapped Onodera's back, the strength almost caused Onodera to fall forward. "Bring the kid around my office. I'd love to see him. You'll have to call me first, I might have something to do."

Onodera hid his face in his hands as Isaka patted Takano's shoulder. "I'm letting you two bring in your kid since your work has gone up in the last month. Asahina told me all about it. Try not to cause too much disruption in the other departments."

Takano nodded in gratefulness. "Thank you. I'll pass by your office when we have him here."

"Good!"

Asahina made his appearance and informed Isaka. "Isaka-san, you have an appointment waiting for you outside your office. We should retire and return in another occasion."

"Boo." Isaka groaned. "Oh, alright. Let's get going. I don't want my work to pile up on me." He went to the door, waving at everyone on his way out. "Bye bye!" He saw the quirked tilt of Asahina's lips and frowned. "I don't have an appointment, do I?"

"No." Asahina looked through his phone and tapped into his email. "Try not to cause Onodera-san too much discomfort."

Isaka harrumphed. "I'm just trying to have some fun. All this work really puts me in a down mood. Besides, I find Onodera-san's reactions are the best."


	8. Baby Carrier

Takano made his way through the busy streets, dodging the groups of people coming to his direction. He fiddled with the baby carrier strapped to his chest, moving the shoulder pad features onto the right position. The straps have dug in and he wanted to release the strain a bit. Ryota faced away from him, giving the baby a view of their surroundings. He heard Ryota's babbling in between the sounds of the city. No fussiness at all.

On certain days, their department disregarded the vending machine and went into a cafe to get their caffeine a quick vote through straws, he got the shortest stick, making him the one to fetch their fresh coffee. Disguising his annoyance at having lost, he claimed Ryota needed fresh air. He placed him on the baby carrier and took him along.

The distance from the office and the cafe wasn't too far. It situated in between a clothing store and a fast food joint. Onodera found this place after his first coffee run and they all enjoyed the brew he brought in. Everyone agreed on getting their caffeine fix from there. Hence, he decided on coming here instead of the jam packed one on the other end of the street. Less of a headache from waiting too long.

He entered the cafe and stood in line. The smell of delicious coffee filled the air. He noticed the young ladies in the surrounding tables smiling over at his direction. It didn't take him long to realize that Ryota's cuteness caught their attention. Of course, Ryota's attention went toward the large trinkets and bright colors. The line went quick and he stepped forward.

"Hello, welcome-" The barista went through her usual greeting, Takano grabbed his wallet and opened it. Readying himself to pay her and hurry up out of the place. Her eyes landed on the baby strapped to Takano's chest. "May I help you?"

"I'm here to pick up a dark coffee box. I ordered it in about an hour ago under the name Takano."

She peeked over her shoulder, seeing the multitude of orders on the back counter. She found his name on the coffee box and turned back to address him. "Of course, we just finished filling it up for you. Are you going to pay in cash or debit?"

"Debit."

She couldn't take it anymore as she commented. "Your son is such an adorable little boy." The barista waved at Ryota's giggling form, he waved back with enthusiasm. "How old is he?"

Hearing someone outside of his job call Ryota his son caused a flutter in his chest. He grew accustomed to the teasing tone his slackers used when calling him papa. Despite Onodera's comment on Ryota's real father, everyone kept up the running joke. Ryota shared his features but he never thought other people outside the office thought the same.

"Thank you." Takano smiled big, he smoothed down Ryota's wild hair. "He'll turn eleven months in a week. He's visiting my job for the day and isn't must trouble. I volunteered in coming to pick up this large box of coffee for the office. It gives me a chance to give him some fresh air. I needed a break from being inside the building anyway."

The barista cooed at Ryota, her co-worker on the bar made funny faces from his spot. "He looks just like you, sir. Oh my, those eyes are just so beautiful. Did he get them from his mother?"

Takano nodded his head, he handed her his debit card. "Yes, his mama has these same vibrant green eyes. My co-workers have told me that he's a perfect fusion of the both of us. I do agree with their observations. Ryota even has his mother's smile."

She swiped the card, the receipt printed out, and handed both back to Takano. "I'm sure his mother is beautiful as well. Let me grab your coffee box for you. Do you need sugar, milk, and sticks?"

"The usual sugar, whole milk, and a small cup of soy milk. I have a co-worker with a slight milk intolerance. Thank you." Takano heard Ryota babbling and kissed his cheek.

"Got it! I'll make sure everything is positioned right in the bag." When she finished, she moved around the counter and handed it to him. She gave Ryota one last wave and she grinned. "Have a nice day and please come again."

Takano left with one mission in mind. He was going to teach Ryota to call him papa and Onodera his mama.


	9. First Word?

Ryota moved his plastic car, bumping it against a stack of books. One of the books landed onto the floor in a light thud. He hit his legs and the mat in delight. Moving his head around to catch one of his _uncles_ attention. The first one caving to Ryota's stare was Kisa. Ryota reached up his arms, waving up at Kisa as he giggled. Kisa smiled, sighing at Ryota's cuteness. He returned to his papers but not before blowing Ryota a kiss.

Their morning went smoother for the first time that week. No problems arose from their authors or any complaints of not meeting the deadline. Takano seemed in a better mood due to Ryota's presence. Time seemed to go faster. They might even leave work earlier and have an afternoon to themselves.

The tranquility of the room ceased when Ryota started crying. He bit into his hand, trying to relieve the pain from his mouth. Kisa panicked while Mino readied himself to go to the diaper bag in the other side of the room.

Being the closest one, Hatori checked in the diaper bag and tossed Kisa one of the teething rings. "Here. There's no more numbing gel. It ran out earlier when Onodera first arrived."

Kisa caught it and handed Ryota his teething ring. "Poor thing." Ryota gnawed with vigor, his movements caused him to move his stuffed cat behind him. "It's not going to break is it?" Ryota started whimpering as he checked around him.

Hearing the sign of another crying fit, Hatori lifted himself from his seat and went toward the mat. He noticed the stuffed animal behind Ryota and moved it around, situating it in front of him. Returning to his desk, he went back to work, keeping his eyes peeled toward Ryota.

Mino shook his head, he explained. "It won't rip apart. His baby teeth can't puncture anything. Companies these days are making them less likely to break. Trust me, Yamato went through a different stages of teething rings. The hardest one isn't used until they're toddlers. Some can even be placed in the freezer to provide a soothing aspect to the teething ring."

Kisa sighed in relief, he slumped against his chair. "I don't want to have to run to the hospital in a panic. Can you imagine Takano-san's face if he heard Ryota is in the hospital? Better yet, Ricchan?"

They collectively shivered.

Ryota wasn't even their real child but they behaved like his parents. Their joke turned into this new development where Ryota made frequent visits. They loved having Ryota crawl around their desks. Although, Onodera freaked out when Ryota tried nibbling on something suspicious. Takano's softer mood benefited their working environment.

Takano stopped yelling at them during Ryota's naps. Thus, giving their hearts a chance to relax without having a jump start from Takano's cutting voice. His glares didn't lose their intensity though. In fact, Takano upped his no nonsense attitude to distract them from his sudden moments of weakness around Ryota.

"Has Ryota given you all any trouble?" Takano checked in on them.

Ryota heard the familiar voice as he exclaimed. "Papa!"

The rest of the crew turned their attention onto Ryota as Takano stopped cold. "W-What did you say?" He crouched in front of Ryota and urged him. "Ryota, say that again."

Ryota scrunched up his face and bellowed out in delight. "Papa!"

Kisa put his hands to his face and said. "His first word! I don't think I have heard him speak before. Oh man, everyone get your cameras! Record everything!" He grabbed his phone from his desk and opened up his camera option. "Okay, Takano-san, try to get him to say it again."

More than happy to oblige, Takano repeated the question to Ryota. Ryota beamed from the attention of everyone and repeated the word. He clapped his hands and wiggled about. Everyone was stunned at his out pour of words coming out of him.

Onodera asked. "What's going on?"

Hatori looked away from the scene, still holding his phone up, recording everything. "Ryota started talking."

"Ah," Onodera watched Takano smother Ryota with a tight embrace and a kiss. He fought back a smile at the adorable scene playing out in front of him. "What did he say exactly?"

Mino told him with a thrilled smile. "He called Takano-san, papa."

Onodera's smile faltered, he glared at Takano. "Takano-san, you're not his father. Stop trying to confuse him."

Takano stared at him, his eyebrow arched up. "He's calling me his papa. Henceforth, I am his papa. He can have two fathers looking after him. Just watch, he'll start calling you mama soon enough."

"No, he won't!"

Kisa sniffed. "Poor Ryo-chan, his mama is being so grouchy this morning."

"Believe what you want." Onodera went to his desk, biting his tongue before he talked again. He didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.

Ryota talked weeks ago.

Ryuusuke called him, almost crying on the phone, emotional at hearing his son call him daddy. Ryota just preferred motioning with his hands and observing someone when they talked to him. Either way, he let them have their moment as he sat down on his seat. Watching them fuss over Ryota who soaked up the attention.


	10. "Mama" Ritsu and "Papa" Takano

Hanako turned her wrist and checked her watch. She tapped her foot as she waited on the side of Marukawa Publishing. Her usual work day was shortened due to contractors coming in to fix up their computer system. Good thing she finished her work before they arrived. This gave her an opportunity to pick up Ryota and go shopping for their easy dinner. She thought about introducing a new vegetable for Ryota's dinner.

Looking through her phone, she received a new message from Ryuusuke asking her about Ryota. Her husband loved their little boy so much. She couldn't ask for a better husband. She sent him a new photo she received earlier. Onodera snapped a photo of Ryota playing with his blocks with some of his coworkers during their lunch break.

Ryuusuke found it amusing that a bunch of full grown men laid on the floor to play with a baby. The moment he got home, he dropped everything and played with Ryota. These guys held no relation to them. Then again, plenty of people found babies adorable.

On a different day, a young boy that Onodera named Yamato, played with Ryota. He laid on the mat, holding a picture book while Ryota sat on his lap. According to Onodera, Yamato loved playing the role of big brother.

Hanako heard Onodera's voice coming closer toward her direction. She placed her phone in her purse and strained her ear to hear him. "Okay, you can go back now. You didn't really need to walk me out of the building. His mother is here to pick him up today. She got let out early from her job."

A velvet voice spoke up. "Ah, then it's my chance to meet Ryota's mother. It's my duty as a—"

"Go back!"

Hanako stepped onto the street, alerting them of her presence. She waved at them. "Tsu-chan! Thanks for meeting me outside."

Onodera hurried away from Takano, he stopped in front of Hanako. "It's no problem. We're actually in the middle of a break. Everyone is stretching out their legs and walking around the floor. They all said good bye to Ryota before we came outside. I told you he has fans at my job."

Hanako bent down and kissed Ryota's cheek. "My sweet little boy. You look so much happier today." He giggled and patted her face. "He's been so miserable from his teething that I thought you guys might not want him here."

Takano spoke up, plopping his chin onto Onodera's shoulder. "We found ways to keep him entertained from the pain. Mino-san has experience with children and knows some helpful tips to guide them through this stage."

Onodera jumped up, he turned his head and snapped at Takano. "Don't do that!" He moved away from Takano and motioned at Hanako. "Anyway, this is my cousin, Hanako. Ryota's _mother_." He emphasized to deter Takano from teaching Ryota to call him mother. It was worth a shot.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Amaya Hanako." She motioned to Onodera before she reached out her hand. "I'm his older cousin from his father's side. I hope these two didn't give you any trouble."

Takano shook her hand with a charming smile, elevating his handsome features. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Takano Masamune. Onodera-san's superior. I see the green eyes are a family trait, I always wondered since Onodera-san has them as well."

Taken aback, Hanako turned to the right and glared at Onodera, she whispered harshly. "And you said your boss was awful. Why did you lie to me Tsu-chan!"

"He is!" Onodera snapped. "He's just being nice in front of you. Listen, I know him from a long time ago, he wants to make me look bad."

"He's an angel compared to my shrew of a manager!" Hanako hissed. "I'd rather have him overlook me instead of her!"

Takano chuckled, knowing full well Onodera grew incensed from his words. "I take it Onodera-san has said some unsavory comments about me. I have to admit, I tend to get a little...demanding...when we're in the middle of meeting a deadline. Everyone in the room is miserable, it's common to get annoyed at every little thing."

Onodera shoved his hands into his pockets, "Yeah right. You have us busting our a—butts off outside of deadline week."

Takano tutted. "It's best to have good work ethic and not slack off. We have to teach Ryota good lessons while we're taking care of him."

Hanako nodded her head. "I see that I have left my little boy in the right hands." She bowed. "Well, we should get going now. Thank you so much for looking after him Takano-san. Better yet, tell your staff thank you from my part for looking after Ryota." She asked Ryota. "Want to say bye bye?"

"Papa!" Ryota waved his little arm up in the arm, surprising them. "Papa!"

Onodera paled.

Takano smirked.

Hanako chuckled as she pinched Ryota's cheek. "Silly Ryota, papa is not here. We'll see him in an hour." She turned to Onodera's excited form. "Ryota has taken to calling Ryuusuke, daddy, I don't know where papa is coming from. Ryuusuke never said the word in front of him."

Ryota pouted as he reached over at Takano's direction. "Papa!"

Takano piped up, relishing in the nervous stare coming from Onodera. "It seems Ryota picked up on the running joke in our office. You see, everyone has commented that Ryota shares some of my features, making him my son. Onodera tends to mother him and take care of him so well, everyone calls him his mother."

"Wait," Hanako pointed at both of them. "Ryota is calling you two mama and papa?"

Takano chuckled. "He has called me papa so far. I don't mind at all."

"Don't you worry Hanako, Ryota won't call me mama." Onodera cut in. "I'm so sorry but he picked up those words from my co-workers. Ever since I brought him in, they labeled him as my son. I showed him a picture of you and Ryuusuke. It didn't stop them from their comments."

Hanako covered her mouth as she started laughing. "I knew you'd make a great parent Tsu-chan! When I said share tips with your boss, I didn't mean make him a father to my kid!"

"Hanako!"

Takano wrapped an arm around Onodera's shoulders. "So, you don't mind him calling us mama and papa."

"Nope!" Hanako snickered. "I find it kind of funny. Ryuusuke has a sense of humor and won't get mad either." She pushed the stroller forward and waved at them. "Bye, Mama Ritsu and Papa Takano." They heard her laughter as she walked further away from them.

Takano pressed a kiss on Onodera's cheek. "Well then, let's get back to work, mama."

"Don't call me that!" Onodera pushed past him, leaving Takano behind with a tender smile on his face.


	11. Scary Face

Takano carried Ryota's giggling form as he went to the floor's vending machine. Having finished their current monthly installment, Onodera brought in Ryota for the afternoon. He ended up scooping up his _son,_ leaving his minions to set up Ryota's playing area. Hanako dressed Ryota in a blue sailor suit which included a hat. Ryota ripped it off once they left their area. Takano stuffed the hat in his pocket on continued on his way.

Checking the variety of drinks, Ryota reached out his hands for the buttons. Guiding Ryota to the right one, he watched in amusement as the baby tapped the button three times for effect. The can fell down into the slot and Takano bent down to grab it. As he did so, he heard Yokozawa calling out his name. Straightening himself up, he saw Yokozawa's widening eyes.

Right, he forgot to tell Yokozawa about Ryota. Their different departments and lack of spare time caused him to not remember to tell his friend anything. He sort of felt bad but he knew for sure the rumor spread throughout the company. It was Yokozawa's fault that he didn't search him out to confirm the newest gossip.

Unaware of the change of mood, Ryota tapped the can of hot coffee, wanting to hold it in his hands. Conceding to the silent request, Takano placed the can in Ryota's hands.

"Hey." Takano waved at Yokozawa as he maneuvered Ryota into a more comfortable position in his arms. "What brings you over here?"

Yokozawa's natural scary face contorted in annoyance. "Don't tell me you knocked up someone and didn't tell me."

Takano inspected Ryota who started hiding his face away from Yokozawa. "I haven't slept with anyone to produce this child. I'm way too careful to do something so careless. Besides, I already have someone for myself."

"Right," Yokozawa glanced down at Ryota and narrowed his eyes. "You know this is no place for a kid. Why do you have him here?"

"The president knows about him." Takano snickered at the memory of the gift basket. "He brought in a gift a week after Onodera first brought him around. It was considerate of him to congratulate us."

Yokozawa frowned. "The president knows about this kid but I don't? What kind of a friend are you?"

Takano huffed. "The rumor went through the company in a manner of days. I'm surprised you didn't confront me sooner. You had plenty of time. Besides, you manage a whole different area and we only ever talk about work while we're here."

"That's no excuse!" Ryota jumped from the volume of Yokozawa's voice. "This is a big life changer and you didn't feel the need to tell me in person."

Ryota's bottom lip trembled, hiccuping, he sniffled. Indicating the start of a crying session as he whimpered every few seconds. Yokozawa cringed. Putting his hands up, he tried distracting the baby. Takano turned his body, shielding Ryota from Yokozawa's scary face.

Takano attempted to console Ryota and bounced him in his arms. Ignoring Yokozawa, he sweetened his voice for Ryota. "It's okay kiddo. I know Yokozawa's face is scary as _hel_ — _heck_ but it will be alright. He'll go away soon and leave us alone."

"Hey!" Yokozawa snapped as Ryota let out a cry. "You're not giving me an explanation here. Tell me what's going on!"

Ryota flinched once more before he cried out in desperation. "MAMA!"

"Shit." Yokozawa rubbed his temples, feeling bad that he made him cry.

Takano cooed. "Ryota, it's okay."

Someone ran down the hallway toward their direction at breakneck speed. Takano and Yokozawa turned, seeing Onodera with a furious expression on his face. Onodera checked on the child first, Ryota's cries reduced down to sniffles as he recognized Onodera. Takano stood still, waiting to see what Onodera's next action would be. He never saw such fire in his eyes before.

Takano thought on defending himself first. "Listen, before you come after me, I didn't do anything to him. You know I wouldn't dare make the kid cry on my watch." He motioned to Yokozawa. "Blame his inability to chill around an infant."

Onodera snapped his head toward Yokozawa. " _You!_ "

Onodera's cold eyes brought a chill down Yokozawa's spine. "What?" Grimacing, he tried not to show his discomfort over Onodera's sudden backbone. All this fuss for an infant?

Onodera jabbed his finger into Yokozawa's chest. "Don't you dare make my baby cry. You can say anything mean to me but leave Ryota out of your mouth. He's an innocent baby. How _dare_ you?"

Takano beamed with unabashed pride. Kissing Ryota's cheek to give him comfort, he mused on seeing Onodera's quick defense for their child. Seeing Onodera defend _their child_ brought such a big smile to his face. Pretty hot too. _Damn._ He wanted to kiss his beloved and shower him with compliments.

Yokozawa froze from the shock. Turning to Takano, he saw the twinkle in Takano's eyes due to Onodera jumping in for the baby. He thought Takano joked about calling himself papa. To think that the both of them resolved their differences and managed to adopt a child.

"Mama.." Ryota reached out his arms for Onodera.

"It's going to be okay Ryota." Onodera grabbed Ryota from Takano's arms and cuddled him close."C'mon, Hatori brought in some nice sweet applesauce for you." He turned around, taking Ryota along with him, leaving Takano and Yokozawa on their own.

Takano tutted. "Takafumi, don't you know better than to rouse an overprotective parent? Shame on you."


	12. Daddy and Papa Takano

"Oh, so you can't make it in time to pick him up?" Onodera leaned against the entrance, watching Ryota slam his hands onto his toy, making it blare out animal sounds. "Ryuusuke is coming? I thought he was busy on a work thing? Ah, okay. Sure, I'm not going anywhere. Alright, see you later." Hanging up, Onodera went toward the sofa next to Ryota and slumped onto it. "Looks like daddy will be coming to pick you up."

Ryota perked up and waved his hands around. "Daddy!" He looked around, expecting to see his dad popping out of somewhere to surprise him.

"Yup, he's coming here to pick you up in an hour." Onodera smiled. "Good thing you already had your nap and ate a small snack. I'm sure your daddy will make you a delicious dinner for tonight. Knowing him, he might sneak in ice cream before you actually eat."

Onodera jumped when he heard a voice coming from down the hallway. He wasn't expecting Ryuusuke to arrive so soon. "Where are you, Onodera?" He grew annoyed when he recognized his boss' voice and remained in his seat.

"There you are. Isn't it dangerous to keep the door unlocked. There are plenty of dangerous people out there." Takano strolled in through the living room door with a bag of take out on hand. "Think of your safety, as a matter of fact, think of the baby."

Onodera rolled his eyes. "Ryota's father is coming to pick him up soon. I'd rather keep the front door unlocked so he can come in without a problem."

"Ah, so Hanako couldn't make it here on time." Takano dropped the bag onto the low rise table. "I don't think I have met Hanako's husband before. She never showed me a picture to show me what he looked like."

Onodera shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure why she didn't show you a photo. She always says that Ryota is looking more and more like his dad."

Takano pressed a kiss on top of Ryota's head, turning to Onodera, he kissed him on the lips.

"Takano!" Onodera screeched. "What are you _doing_? We're in front of the baby."

Amused, Takano caressed Onodera's cheek. "You're acting as though we're doing something wrong. He's caught us kissing before."

"What?!"

Takano chuckled, he sat down next to him and noticed Ryota sending him kisses. "The kid is sneaky when he needs to be. I've caught him peeking at everyone when he's supposed to be napping."

Onodera glared at him. "Don't you dare do that again."

"You say that now—"

"I mean it!"

"Mama! Papa!" Ryota pouted.

Takano smiled at Ryota. "Don't worry, we didn't forget about you. Your mama just loves having attention for himself."

Onodera shoved Takano with his elbow. "Lies. What are you really here for? How did you know I was here?"

Takano arched a brow. "Unless you gained a sudden interest in children's toys, I knew you stayed home to babysit Ryota. You don't leave your apartment most of the time anyway. Not too hard to figure out." He pointed to the bag of food. "I brought an early dinner for us to eat. I'm sure you don't feel like cooking on a Sunday."

"That's true." Onodera leaned back on his couch. "What did you bring?"

"Katsudon." Takano answered. "Piping hot. Just got it from that one place around the block."

Onodera groaned in delight. "Man, I love their food."

"Ritsu! I'm here!"

"In the living room, Ryuusuke!" Onodera warned Takano. " _Behave._ "

Takano snorted. "Sure,"

Once Ryuusuke appeared, he bee-lined toward his son. "There's my baby boy!" Ryuusuke picked up Ryota and kissed his cheek.

"Daddy!"

Ryuusuke ruffled Ryota's hair before he sat down on the sofa. "You're so happy today." He turned his attention to Onodera and the unknown visitor who sat next to him. "I didn't know you were going to have company Ritsu."

Onodera sighed. "I wasn't expecting him, he was a surprise visit." He motioned between the both of them. "Ryuusuke, this is my superior, Takano Masamune. He's my next door neighbor. Takano, this is Ryota's _father,_ Ryuusuke Amaya."

Takano inspected the man, Ryota got his looks from his father for sure. "Pleasure to meet you, Amaya-san."

"So this is my _competition_ for my beloved boy's affections." Ryuusuke made a show of pulling Ryota tighter in his embrace. "Hmm..Hanako commented that you're being called mama, Ritsu."

Ritsu's face flushed red as Takano bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing out loud. "Not by choice! After a while, it just caught on and I didn't want to confuse Ryota. I'm sure he'll grow out of it."

"Unlikely." Takano muttered.

Ryuusuke tickled Ryota's sides and blew a raspberry in Ryota's cheek. "Let me guess, you're the one who taught my son to call Ritsu, mama?"

Takano hesitated in answering but, remembered Hanako's comments about her husband. "Yes. I didn't see anything wrong with it. Everyone in our company thinks Ryota is our son and we went along with it."

"Good one!" Ryuusuke snickered, slapping his knee and Ryota copied his actions. "Hanako said that you two are doing a fine job taking care of him. Not that my mother doesn't enjoy her grandchild but, she's always doing something and can't take care of an infant."


	13. Nap time

 

Careful in making sure Onodera didn't bump Ryota's head, he lowered him down into his stroller. Smiling light, he kissed Ryota's forehead and covered him with a light blanket. Stepping back, he heard his co-workers coming back from their shared break down in the coffee shop. They offered to take care of Ryota but realized they were nearing Ryota's nap time. No use having the little guy annoyed and frustrated due to lack of sleep. Their last bit of work didn't need them to communicate as much.

Turning toward his co-workers, he whispered at everyone with a finger to his lips. "He's deep asleep. Try not to make any big noises. Ryota will wake up in about an hour."

Nodding their heads, everyone went to their respective desks. Beginning their work in silence, they motioned their hands and sent notes to get their point across. Takano came in minutes later, carrying a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. Getting to work, the only sounds were the scratching of their pens and soft muttering curses over an a correctable mistake in grammar. 

A loud knock came to their open door making them all jump. "Where's Takano-san?" The office worker at the entrance bellowed out, bringing everyone to give him a nasty look. "I have to give him this folder. Now!"

Takano put up his hand, narrowing his eyes at the man's audacity.

Onodera hurried from his head and inspected the stroller. To his relief, Ryota kept on sleeping despite the noise going on in the room. He made a shushing sound which brought the man to incense even more.

"Don't shush me! The documents in this folder need to be reviewed and sent back immediately. You have no time to waste." He kept on yammering out loud which broke Takano's last nerve.

The guy noticed Takano's death glare and halted his sudden tirade. Takano grabbed the lapel of his blazer and pulled him close. " _Shut up_. Ryota is sleeping. Get it? An infant is _sleeping_ in this room. We don't need any extra noise waking him up. Hand me whatever you have and leave."

"Y—yeah. Sorry." Handing Takano the folder, he bolted away from there.

Takano kissed his teeth as he inspected the folder. "All this fuss over a little folder."

Hatori suggested in a light voice. "We should place a sign for people to know that Ryota is sleeping. Make it easier on us so we don't break from our work."

Kisa added in. "I'll make it. I'm already correcting some mistakes anyway. A simple 'Baby is currently in nap time' will do just fine."

Takano nodded, "Good. Get to it. Everyone, get back to work."


	14. Drawings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryota is attending preschool/day care at this stage.

Hearing the familiar tittering footsteps, Mino braced himself for impact. He stopped near the entrance to their department and waited. Peeking over his shoulder, he saw Ryota moving at a fast pace toward their area. Ryota scampered in between Mino's legs with a giggle. Mino ruffled Ryota's hair and crouched in front of him.

"Hi Mino-san!" He smiled up at the man. "Where's papa Takano and mama Ritsu?" He removed his backpack and held it close to his chest. "I have to give them something I made in school. I have to hurry, mommy is waiting for me outside."

Mino patted the top of Ryota's head, informing him. "Onodera-san is not here at the moment. He went to receive some pages from his newest author." Ryota's beaming smile faltered. "Although, Takano-san is in the middle of a break. I'm sure he'll see you without a problem."

"Thank you!" Ryota hurried into the room, he located Takano in his usual seat. "Papa! I'm back!"

Takano straightened up, tossed the book at a random pile and sent Ryota a twinkling smile. All signs of tiredness left his face. He loved receiving his sort-of-son despite his exhaustion. "Ryota, it's so good to see you." He stretched out his arms and Ryota ran into his embrace. "I thought you were leaving for your grandmother's house this weekend."

Ryota nodded his head. "I am!" He unzipped his backpack and dug his hand inside. "I wanted to give this to you before I forgot." He took out a piece of paper and zipped up his backpack. Afterwards, he handed the paper to Takano while it was faced down and he sheepishly smiled. "Look at it after I go okay?"

Takano pecked Ryota's cheek before placing the paper still faced down on his desk. "Alright, I'll look at it after you're out of here."

"It's for you and mama." Ryota hopped off of Takano's lap. "I have a ton more at home! I made one for daddy when I was visiting his office too." He put on his backpack. "Bye! I'll see you next week! Love you!" He walked out of the room, leaving Takano at his desk.

Takano turned over the paper and he gasped. Warmness over spilled from his heart and he covered his chest with his hand. Leaning back on his desk, he inspected the drawing with a fond smile. Ryota drew them a cute family portrait. He was on the left while Onodera stood on the right. All of them were smiling as they held hands.

Ryota drew somewhat good for a kindergardener. When he was his age, he drew stick figures with no remote facial features. He still managed to keep up drawing in such a fashion at his age. Maybe Ryota would pursue a career in the mangaka business or an editor and end up at Marukawa. Isaka didn't mind having Ryota around in the office and might keep a spot open for him in the future.

He didn't care that he was biased in the least.

Onodera came back about thirty minutes later. Mino told him upon arrival that Ryota came around for a little bit. Something about handing something to them before he went for a weekend with his grandmother. Anxious, he hurried for their section and noticed Takano's attention placed on something on his desk. He didn't even acknowledge his presence.

"I'm back. I managed to get everything done without any problems. " No response came from Takano. "What's wrong with you?" Onodera made his way toward his desk. "Do you need to go on another smoke break or something?"

Takano held up the paper he stared at and waved it about. He said nothing. Onodera rolled his eyes, thinking it was another work related issue, he snatched the paper away from Takano's hands. He went toward his desk and sat down. He turned over the paper. Thinking he imagined the contents, he turned it around back and forth. His eyes prickled with tears.

Sniffling, Onodera tried hiding his emotions from Takano. It wouldn't do to have him tease him about getting teary eyed over a drawing.

"Ryota gave it to me earlier. He was sort of shy when he gave it to me. Wanted us to see it after he left with his mom." Takano said with a watery smile. "The kid is going to be the end of me. He gets it from you." 


	15. Wandering

Takano and Onodera scrambled onto the floor. Kneeling down, they checked underneath the desks and saw no sign of their infant. There was no sign of Ryota anywhere. Mino, Hatori and Kisa ran out to search the nearby areas. Having sent an alert to the other employees, workflow stopped in order to aid the search.

Takano cursed himself for having placed Ryota on the floor in order to move a stack of books onto another desk. Ryota's rapid growing weight caused his arms to tire out faster. Convincing himself that Ryota would stay put, he rushed on his errand. This lasted no more than a few seconds, enough time for a child to wander on their own.

"What are we going to do?" Onodera uttered out, he carded his fingers through his hair. "Hanako and Ryuusuke will kill me! What if he was kidnapped? Or even worse? He hurt himself enough where he needs to go to the hospital."

Takano encased Onodera in a light embrace and rubbed circles on his back. Onodera relaxed in his arms and gripped onto his shirt. At any other time, he would have felt ecstatic on Onodera's need for contact but, this wasn't the time. He kept his usual comment to himself and focused on calming Onodera down from going into a anxious frenzy.

He muttered into Onodera's ear. "We'll find him soon. The emergency stairs have been closed, there's no way he could have gotten far."

"Mama! Papa!"

Onodera and Takano shot their heads toward the door. Scrambling out of Takano's embrace, Onodera smoothed down his jacket. Kisa, Hatori and Mino shook their heads at Onodera's behavior. They sucked at hiding their so-called non relationship from everyone.

A flustered Misaki Takahashi held the squirming giggling toddler in his arms. "Excuse me, I heard that you guys were missing someone. Um..I noticed him on my way out of the elevator."

"Hi!" Ryota piped up with his hands in the air. "Back!"

The staff sighed in visible relief. Panic dissolved from Mino, Kisa, and Hatori's faces while the parents hurried over toward the entrance. Takano scooped Ryota from Misaki's arms while Onodera thanked Misaki multiple times. Peppering Ryota with kisses, Takano lectured Ryota without any strength in his voice.


	16. Cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryota is in preschool/kindergarten.

Trudging through Marukawa, Ryota gave hesitant waves toward the zombie workers who passed him on his way to his parents section. Taking it upon himself to name the stressed out workers as such, Ryota grew accustomed to witnessing deadline week. During his younger years, he remembered their stressful faces and the overwhelming smell of coffee.

His _uncles_ and _parents_ behaved in the same manner during deadline season. Their disheveled appearance didn't scare him. He grew up seeing them at their worst and the day afterwards they spoiled him with sweets. Hatori provided the best treats.

Seeing a familiar shape in the distance, he tried not to run up to him. His mama Ritsu and mommy always told him not to run down the halls. He might trip because he carried something in his arms.

"Asahina-san, wait!" Ryota caught up to Asahina and propped the box onto a chair. "I wanted to give these to you and Isaka-san."

Asahina crouched down, keeping himself at an eye level. He watched Ryota open the box, revealing colorful cupcakes, a good portion of them had matcha powder on top. Ryota took off his backpack and grabbed some napkins from one of the sections.

"Here you go!" Ryota handed the two cupcakes to Asahina with a beaming smile. "I hear that adults like anything matcha flavored. Anyway, I have to get going, mama and papa will need these too."

Asahina smiled light, ruffling Ryota's hair. "Thank you. The president will enjoy the treat, little one." Straightening himself up, he watched Ryota fast walking toward the usual section he frequented.

Ryota wasn't fazed when he walked into a disaster. Books cluttered every available surface, including the floor. Coffee cans and cups overfilled the trashcan. Different forms hunched over their desks, their hands rapidly working on their current papers. Taking care in maneuvering over the books, he went to his usual spot and moved some books around. The noise caught Takano's attention.

Turning his narrowing eyes to the source of the noise, his face warmed at the sight of his son. He watched him move small stacks of books with care. Ryota learned not to drop books or toss them around. 

"Hey, Ryota."

Ryota turned to his papa and stopped himself from yelling. "Hi papa."

Hearing the voice of his son, Onodera said in surprise. "Ryota, what are you doing here?" He squinted his eyes and saw the box. "What is that?"

"Cupcakes!" Ryota smiled.

Kisa groaned from his area. "Did someone say cupcakes? Hmm...I want one."

Mino sighed. "Me too."

Hatori grunted.

Takano entertained Ryota with a smile. "Why did you bring us cupcakes, kiddo?"

"I remember this is the time you are very busy and I wanted to bring some. Cupcakes make everything better!" Ryota mentioned with a bounce in his step. "I helped momma make these last night. I hope you like them."

He received a variety of thanks in different volumes from his uncles.

Almost squeaking in delight, he went to his parents and gave them hugs. Both of them thanked him with kisses and warm tight embraces. Grabbing his backpack from the floor and left their department.

Takano ordered a ten minute break, everyone cheered through their exhaustion. Each one collected their share of the sweets and went back to their desks. Everyone relishing the sweet matcha flavor and a nice change from their familiar coffee diet which kept them going for their deadline.

Takano mused as he licked the icing from his finger. "I should bake you sweets, Onodera."

Onodera gulped his bite of cupcake. "Why?"

"You hugged and kissed our son as a thank you. I want to have such a reward."

"In your dreams."


	17. Desk

Yokozawa walked through the threshold of Takano's department. Noticing the lack of employees, he inspected the area and saw Takano looking through a pile of papers on his desk. Takano just barely ended a call and placed the phone in the receiver. This time around, Takano has his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

Yokozawa broke the silence. "Your place is empty for a change."

Takano waved his hand around, not taking his eyes off of his work. "They went to talk with their authors in person. It's not like I'm alone. I have Ryota for the day, he went to grab himself a juice box from the vending machine."

Yokozawa sighed in relief. After the awful first impression, he avoided coming around so often. In a way, he didn't want to have a repeat of the situation and get another scathing glare from Onodera. Before the child came along, Onodera's backbone was non-existent. Ryota brought out a protective intensity which pushed aside the awkward and spastic persona of his _mama._

Takano saw amusement in his dilemma which annoyed the hell out of him.

On his journey to Takano's desk, his knee hit something low. Hitching his breath, Yokozawa cursed under his breath. Looking down, he saw a small mini desk with booklets and homework strewn all over.

"Don't knock over my desk!" Ryota cried in despair from the entrance, he ran to his desk. Shuffling his papers from the corner, he sat down on his chair and pouted. "I was working on my homework you know."

Yokozawa arched a brow, turning to Takano, he inquired. "He has a desk? Since when does the kid have his own desk?"

Takano snorted, giving a sarcastic remark. "He _works_ here." He glanced at Ryota who started doing his math homework. "Isn't that right, Ryota?"

"Yup!" Ryota continued on counting with his fingers, not knowing what he answered.

"Works?" Yokozawa rubbed his temples. "Okay, I'm done trying to question your brat. Half the time you don't even give me a straightforward answer. Are you trying to piss me off?"

Takano leaned back on his chair. "Maybe, maybe not."

Yokozawa guessed. "You're taking revenge over me making your kid cry, aren't you?"

Takano patted Yokozawa's arm with a smirk. "Took you long enough. Try not to make him cry again. My underlings have never made Ryota upset, they know how to handle him. Well, once he went past the infant stage and grew up a little. Besides, Onodera will lecture you again."

"I'm not afraid of him." Yokozawa rolled his eyes. "Your revenge is horrible."

"I wasn't the one who almost fainted at Onodera's glare. Don't make me call him in here." Takano snickered at Yokozawa's sour grimace.


	18. Crush

Onodera noticed Ryota's increased shyness whenever Kisa came around. Ryota smiled more around Kisa, nothing out of the ordinary, he did the same to everyone in the office. Although, the inspiration in Ryota's drawings leaned toward Kisa-san. The hairstyle and the outfits made it all the more apparent. It was adorable watching him trying to hide the drawings in his backpack whenever Kisa returned into the area. Sometimes, he trailed after Kisa and hanged onto his every word.

In a way, he felt a little put out, he grew accustomed to Ryota lavishing him with attention. Ryota split the time between him and Takano. At times, Kisa, Hatori and Mino gravitated some of Ryota's attention during his visits. Either way, Kisa loved the attention and did the same for Ryota. Although, he did make it a point to tell him about his lover, Yukina. Ryota didn't offend Yukina but, simply nodded and said he'd protect Kisa if Yukina made him cry.

After informing Ryuusuke and Hanako, both of them demanded updates on their son's first crush. They found the whole situation adorable, finding nothing wrong with the gender at all. Takano caught onto his messages when he witnessed him recording Ryota drawing Kisa during one of their breaks.

"I thought I told you not to keep secrets from me." Takano narrowed his eyes. "I have a right to know about anything new with Ryota."

Onodera forwarded the video to Hanako and Ryuusuke. "Everyone in the office knows about Ryota's crush on Kisa-san. It was _obvious_. I mean-Ryota is paying a lot of attention to Kisa-san. All of the drawings Ryota has drawn so far feature Kisa-san. I thought he showed some to you the other day."

Takano was dumbfounded. "I admit...I might have been distracted by something else. I didn't pay much attention to what he showed me before he ran off."

"And you call _me_ dense." Onodera shook his head before pocketing his phone. "Try not to discourage Ryota's feelings."

Takano arched a brow. "Speak for yourself."

" _Excuse me?_ "

Takano tapped in between Onodera's eyebrows. "You're the one hiding your feelings from me. You should take your own advice and not discourage your own feelings. You're in love with me, aren't you?"

"I won't be for much longer if you keep pushing this issue!" Onodera crossed his arms over his chest.

Takano stiffened. Onodera's comment was close to a love confession. He shut his mouth before he prompted Onodera to make up an excuse for his words. When Onodera continued on speaking on something else, Takano let himself relax.

Once Ryota caught sight of Kisa returning from the fax machine, he scooted back his chair and hurried to pull Kisa's chair back for him. His sudden actions turned Takano's attention from Onodera. Takano stood in amazement as he watched the interaction unfold before his eyes. Onodera wasn't kidding.

Flattered, Kisa pecked Ryota's forehead and ruffled his hair. "What a gentleman!" Ryota beamed and used his strength to push the chair forward as Kisa sat down. "You don't have to push the chair for me. I get up too much, you'll get tired."

Ryota puffed his chest. "I'm tough! Don't you worry about me." He retreated back to his desk, eager in sketching out another drawing on scrap paper.

Onodera took the chance and went toward Kisa's desk. He brought Kisa's attention onto him. "Enjoying the attention?"

Kisa cupped his hand over his face and whispered into Onodera's ear. "Riichan, he's so adorable. I'll be a bit sad when he grows out of his crush soon and finds someone else. I remember crushing on a new person every month when I was his age."

"You're not bothered?"

"Not at all." Kisa smiled big, he ignored Takano's calculating glare. "Please, tell your husband not to give me that fatherly protective glare. I can't get my work done otherwise."

"He's _not_ my husband!"

Ryota piped up in disbelief, horror laced his tone. "You're not married to papa, mama?"


	19. Secret Baby

Onodera remembered his cousin commenting on wanting another child. After having Ryota, she waited a couple of years, wanting to enjoy her first child before adding another life to the mix. She settled into her career and found the urge to have a child. When Ryota turned six years old, she gave the green light and started attempting to try for another child. Ryuusuke was thrilled at the idea and a few months later Hanako announced her pregnancy.

From the list of names, he knew that the couple wanted a girl this time around. Since they already had their son, they wanted a daughter to complete the set. A fifty percent chance of that happening, but it didn't stop them from already addressing the baby as a girl.

When Ryota found out, he was just as excited as Hanako and Ryuusuke. In his kindergarten class, he was one of the few kids without a little brother or sister. He already started to pick out little toys for the baby to play with whenever he went to store with his momma. 

When the news set in, Onodera panicked, Takano couldn't know about the baby.

He didn't hate being called mama. In fact, he grew to love the title. Considering his orientation and stress filled job, he knew he wouldn't have a child of his own. Despite his parents previous insistence in marrying An-chan, he was glad that she broke the engagement. It left less guilt on his part since he still held affection for Takano, not that he would admit it to him.  

The day Takano met Ryota, he imprinted on the baby. He couldn't find another name to describe Takano's bizarre behavior. He witnessed Takano interacting with other babies and he never showed the same attention. Takano inched away from other children while showing a convincing fake smile. His polite denials didn't stop people from shoving their kids on him.

From the manner in which Takano took a liking to Ryota, he would love the newest Amaya child. No doubt about it.

When Ryota walked into the office, he shuffled them toward a corner. Kneeling down, he stared Ryota in the eyes, almost pleading to him. "Please, don't tell papa that your momma is having a baby." Ryota wrinkled his nose, confusion clear in his eyes. "Papa can't know about the baby yet."

Ryota twiddled his fingers in front of him. He already told his classmates about the baby so he wanted to tell his uncles and his papa. He didn't understand why his mama wanted to stop him. It made no sense.

He resorted to a pout, knowing his mama melted from the sight of it. "Why can't I say that momma is having a baby? I don't get it."

"We have to wait a little bit until your momma's belly is showing." Onodera gave a lame reply, it sounded stupid to his own ears. "This way, the baby is big enough to take a picture of at the doctor's office."

"Oh!" Ryota nodded his head. "Okay!"

Onodera distracted Ryota with the prospect of a movie. Turning on his laptop, he put on a kid's movie which caught Ryota's attention. He hoped Ryota grew distracted enough where he didn't tell Takano when he came in.


	20. Illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is after the chapter 'Daddy and Papa Takano')

__Checking back on Takano and Ryota, Onodera found Takano feeding Ryota some mashed fruit of some kind. Standing at the door, he observed the both of them, quiet and pondering. From his perspective, Takano handled Ryota with utmost care. He took his responsibility as a father figure seriously. Whenever he brought him to work, Takano's stress reduced and he treated everyone else better.

Takano somewhat used Ryota as an excuse to enter his apartment. He should have expected Takano's frequent visits to his apartment. Ryota perked up at the sight of his _papa_ , happy to have both of them in the same room. He clung onto Takano when he came around, which never failed to bring a smile to Onodera's face.

After a while, he stopped trying to tell Takano to leave his apartment. He tried not to fume at the obvious tuning out Takano did whenever he brought up the topic. Takano used Ryota against him in order to stop him from his tirade.

A sneaky move, but he gave Takano props. 

He used Ryota against Takano at work. It seemed a fair trade off. 

Observing Ryota, he found the infant a perfect combination of the both of them. Takano's dark hair, his green eyes, a smile that Takano claimed was similar to his own. His coworkers comments, mainly Kisa's, held validity. Anyone who saw both of them together with this child would correlate him as theirs. His chest warmed at the mere thought. 

_He really does look like he's ours...our...our child._

Onodera snapped out of it and pinched his arm. Wincing at the pain, he slapped his face for good measure. Walking inside, he avoided staring Takano in the eye.

Takano always seemed to know his thoughts.


	21. Crush 2

As they waited for their meal, Kisa decided to deliver the newest bits of gossip about his job. Yukina knew of Ryota, but he didn't know about every minute detail. He didn't expect such a courtesy from Kisa. After all, he didn't divulge everything from his classes at university. Many of his days tended to become the same as the day beforehand.

Nodding along about another story of Onodera stammering over Ryota's embarrassing questions, the server placed their food in front of them. Thanking her, they took a bite of their dinner before Kisa landed a bombshell.

"Ryota has a crush on me."

Stunned at the news, Yukina said. "Run that by me again?"

Enthusiastic about Ryota's crush, Kisa repeated himself. "Ricchan's little boy has a crush on me." He clasped his hands together with a chuckle. "He's so adorable. Ryota keeps on putting out my chair for me, his drawings feature me, oh, and he shared his cookies with me. Takano-san felt betrayed at his son sharing his sweets with someone other than him."

Hearing about a kindergartner having a crush on Kisa sounded so adorable. Kids crushing on adults wasn't anything new. The situation came to how the adults handled the kid in question. From Kisa's beaming smile, he found the whole scenario cute.

Yukina tilted his head to the side, smiling light. "Ah, I remember my own crushes."

"I know, right?" Kisa mused about his old crushes as he took a bite of his food. "I sort of don't want to crush his dreams when I tell him about you."

"Wait...he doesn't know about me? Why not?" Yukina pouted.

Kisa waved it off. "It never came up. I mean, he doesn't even know that his _mama and papa_ are _not_  together _._ Ryota is actually making Ricchan stop denying that he's together with our boss anymore. To be frank, Takano-san is easier to deal with at work because of this family situation."

"It's good that your job is easier now." Yukina chuckled. "You might as well tell Ryota you're in a relationship. I don't want to have to do it myself."

"Nah, you'll make him feel bad." Yukina gasped in indignation. "I'll tell him soon. I think Ryota is visiting the office sometime this weekend. You can meet up with me as Ryota is getting picked up."


	22. Visitor I.D.

Isaka inspected the hallways for any sight of Ryota. Hand inside of his pocket, he touched the personalized visitor I.D Asahina made for the little tyke. His assistant went all out on making it. He added stickers of kids show characters he didn't know a thing about and left the line empty for Ryota to write his name on.

Catching a glimpse of Ryota near the vending machine, he fast walked toward Ryota to make the walk easier on him. "Ryota, wait a minute." Isaka flagged down Ryota. "I have something to give you."

Peaked with interest, Ryota hurried over to Isaka's side, clutching a juice box in one hand. "Hi!"

Isaka crouched down at eye level with Ryota. "Hey kiddo. Asahina made this for you." Taking out the I.D, Ryota's eyes widened. "Honestly, I have no clue who these characters are, but Asahina told me kids liked them." Placing it in Ryota's free hand, he bit back a chuckle the amazement in Ryota's eyes.

"For me?" Ryota held the I.D badge in awe, touching the end of the lanyard, he said. "Really? Thank you!"

"Yup!" Isaka ruffled Ryota's hair, making him giggle. "You flash this to the front desk and they'll let you right through. I know you come in whenever you want, but this is just in case. Just try not to lose it, okay?"

"Okay!" Ryota put the lanyard over his neck and stuck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Handsome." Isaka encouraged him with a grin.

Ryota placed his finger under his chin. "Will my baby brother or sister get one too?"

"Eh?" Stunned, Isaka asked him. "There's going to be _another_ one?"

"Yup!" Ryota beamed in happiness, he fiddled with the end of his visitor I.D. "I can always share with my baby brother or sister. You don't mind do you?"

Isaka snapped out of it, assuring Ryota. "It's alright. Let the baby grow big enough to walk around, then he or she will get one. Sound good?" Standing up from his crouched position, Isaka grimaced at the aching coming from his legs. Damn, he was getting old. "Be careful on your way back to the office."

"Okay!" Ryota made his way through familiar hallways with a huge smile. "See you later!"

Isaka kept an eye on Ryota as he went toward Onodera and Takano's department. Once Ryota was out of sight, he whipped out his phone and dialed Asahina. "Onodera and Takano are having _another_ kid. Wait...how'd you know before me?!"


	23. Secret Baby 2

Ryota's blunt honesty ruined Onodera's attempts at secrecy.

When Takano arrived, Ryota ran to his side, holding onto his waist with a huge grin. Takano picked him up and listened to their son chat away. Despite Ryota's bigger size, Takano picked him up with as much ease as when he was a baby. Carrying _their son_ towards his desk, Onodera saw his moment of escape.

Onodera's stealth came to a halt when Ryota piped up. "Mama where are you going? I thought you had a lot of work to do. You have a _big_ stack of papers on your desk!"

Takano added in with a sarcastic drawl. "Yes, Onodera. Do tell?" When Onodera didn't say anything, he sighed. Placing Ryota on the floor, he gave him some money. "Ryota, you should go get yourself a juice."

Ryota clutched the money in his hand as he nodded his head. Ignorant of the tension inside of the room, he asked with a smile. "Do you and mama want anything?"

"Hmm...get me a warm coffee can and red bean soup for Onodera. Take as long as you want. Okay? There's no big rush to come back." Takano patted the top of Ryota's head.

"Okay! I'll be right back!" Ryota scampered away, leaving Onodera and Takano alone in the office.

" _Onodera._ "

Onodera wanted nothing more than to melt down onto the floor.

"I found out this interesting news from Ryota." Takano tapped his foot onto the ground, blocking his one means of escape from the department. "Hanako is expecting another child. Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Onodera explained, trying not to let panic seep through his voice. "Well...I wanted to wait until the baby grew a little more. Hanako is just two months along. I don't want to seem pessimistic, but sometimes, things just happen."

Takano closed the gap between them. "Are you sure about that?"

"What do you mean?" Onodera gulped.

"I heard from a certain son of ours that his mommy was _four_ months along." Takano crossed his arms over his chest. "Care to explain?"

When their noses touched, Onodera sped through his explanation without stopping himself. "I said nothing because you might imprint on this baby like you did with Ryota."

A array of emotions filtered through Takano's face. Onodera hunched his shoulders when Takano settled for amusement. Afterwards, Takano began laughing out loud. Instead of feeling annoyance, Onodera found the smile fit Takano well.

When Takano stopped, he leaned down and pecked Onodera's cheek before returning to his desk. "I'm not a duckling Onodera."


	24. Little Dress

Onodera blushed at the attention he received as he stood in the girl's section of a baby clothing store. Gazing around, young mothers and their friends giggled before returning to their own shopping. Turning his attention back to the outfits, he saw a small little bear outfit. His eyes sparkled at the numerous onesies with an animal theme for them.

Right beside him, Takano inspected the various onesies and little dresses. Takano tutted at ones which featured bright colors and odd patterns. Dismissing them, he moved along, checking on the newest piles on another table. Their shared basket contained a fair amount of supplies, ones he selected, but Takano kept looking around.

Onodera invited Takano to tag along with him during one of their work day. He didn't want to look through baby clothes on his own and Takano came to mind. The utter delight in Takano's face made Onodera's heart speed up. He denied having spent extra time in front of the mirror before Takano picked him up.

To his relief, Takano caused no scandal over the whole trip. When he first saw him, Onodera attempted to keep his eyes off of Takano. The guy ended up wearing a nice outfit which complimented him in every shape possible. Almost as if Takano did this on purpose. 

Once they made it to the mall, they walked toward the baby store. Takano told him about grabbing the best for the baby.

This ended up extended their shopping trip far longer than Onodera desired.

Exasperated, Onodera rubbed his temples. "Takano-san, just pick _something_. _Anything_. Pick something pink and frilly."

Takano glanced down at Onodera. "Onodera, we're picking gifts for our beloved new little one. How dare you try rushing me. We have to search through this place with loving care." He picked up a flower pattered dress, tights were included with the ensemble. "Do you think Hanako will like this? This is for a six to nine months old."

Onodera thought about it before he answered him. "I'm sure she'll like it. You're not going with the outrageous ones I saw you looking at earlier."

"Of course not." Takano scoffed. "Those were hideous. There's no way our new child will wear such atrocities." Dropping a few dresses and onesies into the basket, he inspected the stuffed animals on the wall. "So when can we drop this stuff off?"

"Well, my family members are going to gift money after Hanako and the baby are settled in. So...two months? It's traditional not to give gifts before a baby is born."

"Ah...so we can't give these to them now?" Tossing a stuffed bear into the basket, Takano sighed. "I'm not well versed on this baby stuff."

Onodera patted Takano's back, missing the incredulous shock crossing Takano's face. "I know about this stuff because my mother scolded me when I tried gifting Hanako a bag of clothes. Anyway, I think we have more than enough stuff to give them." He motioned toward the register. "We should get going, I'm starving."

Takano followed after him, close enough where their bodies almost touched. Thinking of a quick idea, he added charm to his voice. "I should treat you to lunch. There's a good place around the corner."

Onodera peered over his shoulder, pinking at the sudden close proximity of their faces. Gathering his wits, he handed Takano the basket he carried. "You're going to have to carry the bags when we're out of here."

Smirking, Takano told him. "Deal."


	25. Crush 3

Keeping an eye out for Yukina's arrival, Kisa sneaked a peek at the time on his phone. Earlier in the day, his lover reminded him about wanting to settle the crush situation, well, letting Ryota down in a gentle manner. Not that he felt nervous, but mere curiosity as to how Yukina would handle Ryota. He hoped Onodera and Hanako didn't react badly to the whole debacle.

To his left, Onodera waited alongside Ryota for Hanako's arrival from work. The child spoke about a fun lesson plan his teacher showed them which included coloring and animals. Kisa couldn't help the smile forming on his lips, the child brought such amusement and ease to their department. Ryota became an honorary member and no one complained about the unofficial employee in their ranks.

When he accompanied the pair outside, Ryota ended up holding his hand as they walked through the doors. Kisa almost squealed at the cuteness of this child. Onodera arched a brow in his direction, shaking his head, knowing his mental thoughts.

Seeing Yukina's oncoming form, Kisa wiped down his blazer and stood up. His sudden action caught Onodera and Ryota's attention. Greeting each other, Yukina turned to the side to look at Ryota in time for their eyes to connect.

"Hello Onodera-san," Yukina greeted Onodera with a sparkling smile. "And you must be Ryota. It's amazing to finally meet you, I'm Yukina Kou."

Ryota piped up with a grin. "Nice to meet you."

Yukina asked Onodera. "I know this is an odd request, but may I speak with Ryota-chan?"

Narrowing his eyes, Onodera inquired. " _Why_?"

Yukina scratched the back of his head. "Ah...well it's to talk about Kisa-san."

Onodera turned to Kisa, giving him a deadpanned look.

Kisa laughed nervously.

Sighing, Onodera addressed Yukina. "Sure."

Yukina bowed. "Thank you. We'll be right over there. Okay?" He lead Ryota aside before crouching down to his level. Beginning their separate conversation, Ryota put all his attention on Yukina.

Onodera arched a brow. "Do I have to ask why your lover specifically came around our office for a  _child_? You're lucky Hanako is not here to see this."

Sheepish, Kisa hunched his shoulders. Yukina spared time off his afternoon to speak to a child over a crush.  _A harmless crush_. "He was curious to meet his  _rival_."

Onodera kept a close eye on Ryota's facial expressions. Seeing no form of distress, he found some amusement about the whole situation. "He's intimidated by a  _child_?"

Kisa drawled. "I can't help having multiple people fall in love with me. It's a  _blessing_  and a  _curse_." They shared a chuckle. "He thought Ryota's crush was adorable and wanted to meet him."

"You know, he didn't have to say anything to Ryota. Like you said, he'll grow out of his crush soon enough." Onodera saw Ryota and Yukina give each other a high five. The newly formed friends chatted with high spirits.

"I kind of don't want it to happen, I like having a cutie follow me around." Kisa pouted.


	26. Art Wall

When Marukawa employees passed the Shojo section, they noticed a cluttered array of papers on a pin board near the large windows, showcasing bright colors and childish scribbles. Crayon drawings of different people in the Shojo section and landscapes of blob like buildings of the city. Above the pin board, a paper presented the name of the artist: Amaya Ryota.

Whenever Ryota came in for a visit, Takano pinned the newest drawing on the board himself. Patting the proud child's head, he showed the child a rare smile.

One drawing stood out above the rest, the distinctive eyes and hair revealed the identity of the kissing couple without a doubt.

Onodera attempted to remove the drawing upon laying eyes on the paper. Takano mentioned a certain artist getting upset, stopping his hand from ripping out the push pins. With that in mind, the embarrassing image of Onodera Ritsu and Masamune Takano remained on the board.


	27. Hidden Kiss

Whenever Ryota came in an unscheduled time to his Mama's house, he tried sneaking up on him for a surprise. Convincing his Momma to follow his sneaky plans earned him a place of veggies. Well, eating his vegetables without complaint. The reaction of his Mama's shock made eating yucky vegetables worth it.

Putting his shoes on the rack, he tiptoed through the main hallway, trying to stay quiet. He heard his Mama in the living room talking to someone. Recognizing his Papa's voice, he held back the feeling of running in the room and hugging them both.

Peeking around the corner, he saw his Papa and Mama sitting on the couch. Papa's hand was on Mama's knee while trying to steal kisses.

Having seen this plenty of times, he waited for hugs Mama to push Papa away. Papa always told him how Mama felt embarrassed whenever they kissed each other. He didn't get the appeal, but all mommies and daddies kissed one another.

Mama seethed when Papa pecked his cheek. "Takano-san!"

His Papa chuckled, leaning close enough that their noses touched. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a kiss. You've kissed me many times before, enjoying every single one without complaint."

Mama shielded his face with his hands. " _No!_ " He peered through his fingers, glaring at the man beside him.

"Hmm…" Papa pressed a kiss on one of Mama's hands. "I think you're teasing me on purpose Onodera. It's so naughty to lie. What example are you giving our son?"

Mama removed one hand from his face and pinched Papa's cheek. Papa pressed a kiss on Mama's fingers, making Mama roll his eyes. "Stop using Ryota for your own gain."

"Now, now, you use our son against me too. Don't deny it."

Papa curled an arm around Mama's side, his warm smile brought on on a blush on Mama's face. Mama closed the gap and shared a long kiss.

Ryota pouted.

Mama and Papa tended to last a long time kissing.

Sighing, he went inside the kitchen. Mama tried hiding the snacks from him, but he knew the secret spots.


	28. Sports Day

Peering up at the bright colored banners of the elementary school, Takano shivered at the thought of his own sports days as a child. His parents failed to attend them and he hated any form of physical activities. He did the bare minimum to seem engaged to keep his teacher and classmates from expressing their annoyance about his lack of class spirit.

His initial explanation of work gained him Ryota's disappointed frown. This brought back a reminder of his own reaction whenever his parents disregarded his school events, using their work or any reason not to attend. The mere idea of disappointing his son pushed him past personal discomfort.

In contrast, Onodera jumped on the balls of his feet in excitement. He remembered his elementary school days with fondness. Always the first to volunteer for an event, he won numerous races and enjoyed having a day off studying. Although, his parents immediate insistence on reviewing his class work dimmed none of his spirit.

Carrying the lunch boxes and blanket went toward Takano, who demanded a kiss for his services. To save time, Onodera kissed him, leaving him breathless before telling him to hurry out the door.

The trip to the elementary school went easier than expected. No sudden delays on the train and the GPS system on one of their phones lead them to the exact address.

Following the families to the sports area, Onodera kept a grip on Takano's arm, keeping him from getting lost. He ignored the amused smirk throughout the walk toward Ryota's class section. Already preparing himself for Takano's taunting, he located the area filled with different families.

Setting up their space, they received second glances from the parents. Takano noticed their speculative stares and smiled to cease their concerns. Ever the oblivious one, Onodera tidied up the blanket while setting the lunch boxes in the middle.

One of the nearby mothers grew curious on the new faces. Having met all the parents, she didn't remember hearing around a new child joining the class. After introducing herself, she asked Onodera. "Which one of the children is yours?"

"Technically, Amaya Ryota is mine." Onodera pinched Takano's hand to keep him from adding anything unnecessary. "He's my cousin's child. I came in her place due to a sudden work related call. We'll be sending her progress reports throughout the day."

"I see. It's always great to see family supporting their relatives." She turned her gaze to Takano. "Are you related to the child as well?"

From her angle, she didn't catch Takano holding Onodera's hand. Onodera concealed his reaction to not embarrass Ryota in front of his class. "As Onodera said, Ryota  _is_  technically  _ours_."

After that statement, the conversation died down enough where the mother excused herself to relay the information to the other parents.

For the rest of the day, Takano kept a hand on Onodera's jacket to keep him from falling over himself while he cheered for Ryota. Taking secret photos of Onodera, he saw himself printing them out on a later date. Such perfect teasing material to use against his beloved. He even recorded Onodera flailing his arms when Ryota won an event. Ryota shared Onodera's enthusiasm as well.

Of course, multiple photos were taken of Ryota during his events. All of which were sent to Hanako and Ryuusuke's phones.

When lunch came around, Takano and Onodera waited with baited breath for Ryota's arrival. Their child trailed behind some of his classmates while talking to another child. At the sight of them, Ryota almost tripped over his own feet, catching his wits before he fell. Running to their side, Ryota jumped into their arms. Sharing a long hug, they ate the lunch Hanako made for the day.

Once sports day ended, Takano carried an exhausted Ryota in his arms while Onodera held onto the empty lunch box containers and hastily bundled up blanket. Snapping one last photo, they went in their way to Onodera's apartment.


	29. Tamiko

During the morning, Takano walked through the entrance of the Shojo department holding a cup of fully charged coffee. Sitting in his usual seat, he downed a good part of the contents. Cringing at the bitter taste, he left sugar out on purpose, he waited for the caffeine to kick in. His lackeys stumbled in at different intervals, coffees in hand as well. Everyone said good morning before settling themselves in their desks and fiddled with their papers.

A sequence of dings prompted Takano to remove his cell phone from his pocket. Seeing different notifications, he got rid of the less important ones from his sight. He left his work email open and continued on looking through his phone. When he saw that Hanako sent him a message, he looked through the contents.

Not too far from him, Onodera's phone pinged. Although, Onodera ignored his cell in favor of setting up his work for the day. His muttering of endless editing traveled to Takano's ears. He tuned him out after hearing the same complaints again. Onodera got his work done despite his misgivings about his workload. 

Takano's thumb hovered over the screen as he concentrated on the image. Frozen in place, he saw a photo of a baby. A baby in a pink blanket. A baby in a pink blanket, held in Ryota's arms.

The first image of Amaya Tamiko.

Processing the features of the newborn, he woke from his daze. Not even his coffee broke him from his stupor so quick. Seeing Ryota hold his little sister brought a smile to his face, he remembered Ryota's excitement from the news. The little guy helped his mother throughout the whole pregnancy alongside his father. Hanako enjoyed the attention of course.

Noticing more photos in the text message, he tapped on them. It didn't hurt to delay the work day for a few minutes. The cuteness of  _his_  new child took precedence over Manga pages. He waited for these photos to pop on his screen for  _days_.

Onodera's sudden exclamation tore him from his phone screen.

"Hanako sent me Tamiko's picture!"

A delayed response, but Takano found Onodera's reaction quite adorable. 

Kisa, Hatori and Mino scrambled toward Onodera's desk. Kisa commented on the cuteness of their child. Onodera slapped Kisa's arm while Mino and Hatori gave their input on the newest Amaya child. All positive. When Onodera turned toward him and showed his screen, he waved his phone, indicating that he received them too.

He let them coo over the photos for a good five minutes before telling them to start working. Onodera called him out on peeking at the photos during the day and denied it. His rare blush of embarrassment contradicted his statement.


	30. Confession (Sort of)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm at chapter 30 with this series. I guess it helps that these are short entries. 
> 
> In this chapter, Tamiko is a toddler, not a newborn. A little bit ahead in the future. 
> 
> I have opened a Ko-fi! The link is on my Tumblr account!
> 
> -Lucicelo

 

Confession (Sort of)

 

As the years passed on, Onodera found himself in a shared domestic scenario with Takano. A thought impossible to fathom until the situation crept up on him. Well, he realized the extent once Ryota and Tamiko came into their lives. The similar appearances, addressing them as mama and papa, little things which gained second glances in the public eye. 

Many strangers cooed over _his_ children when he spent time with them outside of his home without Takano. Once Takano accompanied him, people assumed one or the other belonged to one of them. It didn't help matters when Takano interjected, correcting these people while presenting the children as _theirs_. 

He didn't bat an eyelash to Takano’s antics anymore. Viewing his reactions as a lost cause, he nodded along to Takano’s claims. Ryota grinned in delight, hugging his legs, while Tamiko clapped her pudgy hands in his arms.

Takano’s happiness accumulated in shared private kisses, away from their children's eyes of course. 

Admitting he enjoyed this new facet in his life, made him rethink past choices, some of which came to bite him in his adult life. Case in point: Takano Masamune.

Throughout their work partnership, he grew frustrated at Takano abusing his power over him. It seemed as if Takano picked on him more than his other co-workers. This was before he found out Takano’s identity. The frustration somewhat diminished after Takano treated them all the same during deadline season. Yelling at them and demanding their work done on time. With Ryota and Tamiko visiting their floor often enough, Takano’s personality changed to suit the company of children. Meaning, his loud yelling reduced to intense glares. 

His co-workers felt no shame in placing either child in front of Takano. Worked like a charm. 

Sitting in his apartment, he turned his attention onto Takano who looked through his phone, a popcorn bowl on his lap. In between them, their children fell asleep while watching a kid friendly movie, popcorn strewn all over them. He smiled at the sight. 

Hearing the end credits, Onodera grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. He stage whispered. “We have to move the kids to my room.”

Takano tore his eyes from his phone and mouthed: Later. 

Onodera shrugged his shoulders. Turning to his side, he made careful strides to move Tamiko and Ryota into comfortable positions on their sides. A crick on the neck was always a pain. 

Slumping on his side of the couch, Onodera observed their little family. After interacting with Takano at work and home, he'd never seen the guy at peace. It made him happy to see genuine smiles coming from Takano. In high school, he _never_ saw Takano smiling at anyone. 

 _Wow. I'm in love with this man all over again._  

Takano lowered his voice when he stated. “Mind repeating that.” 

Onodera flushed at the intensity of Takano’s stare. He voiced his thoughts _again_! “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” 

“No, no, tell me.” Takano smirked. “I thought I heard you tell me that you lo-” 

Onodera leaned forward and muffled Takano’s mouth with his hand. His eyes crinkled, showing his immense amusement. 

Onodera huffed. “I..I care deeply about your well being. _Happy_?” Takano arched a brow, motioning to the hand still pressed against his face with his eyes. “Whoops. Sorry.”

Once Onodera took off his hand, Takano let out a deep sigh. “I'll take what I can get.”

 


	31. Observations

 

 Observations 

The first time Tamiko visited Marukawa, happened when Ryota and Ryuusuke left on a bonding retreat. Using this visit as a surprise, Hanako said nothing to Ritsu or Takano. She began correspondence with Takano once she realized the new bond between him and her son. Well, the three way bond formed with Ritsu, Takano, and Ryota. Tamiko entered the bond on the day of her birth. 

Hanako strolled through the front entrance, presenting her son's I.D card as proof of entry. The receptionist called the Shojo department who allowed the woman to enter further into the company. Good thing she brought it or she wouldn't have entry. Unless, Ritsu came downstairs to retrieve her, ruining the surprise.

Tamiko remained asleep on their way up up to the right floor. Lucky for her, both of her kids slept through the night. Tamiko woke up Ryota during the first few weeks of her birth. Adding to a constant grumpiness between Ryuusuke, Ryota, and herself, from lack of sleep. After some time, Tamiko didn't wake up as often, bringing the whole family relief. 

As adorable as she seemed, her crying fits broke the illusion real quick. 

Stepping off the elevator, she heard scattered talk between the departments. Not a surprise for her. She sometimes worked on the weekends herself, the limited noise didn't bother her much. 

Locating the Shojo department, Hanako peeked inside, seeing the collective group, she piped up. “Hello! I hope I'm not interrupting? I have a special visitor with me.”

Everyone snapped their heads toward her. She mused at their attention going to Tamiko's stroller. Ever since she sent pictures of the baby, the department wanted to meet Tamiko in person. 

Upon seeing the stroller, Takano stood up from his seat and walked toward her. Ritsu followed suit. Their actions sparked the rest of the men to get up and do the same. 

Takano asked her. “Is she awake?”

“No, but she slept all the way here. If you guys wake her up, she won't be so grumpy.” Hanako lifted the blanket off the stroller, presenting Tamiko in a rose patterned onesie. Gathering Tamiko in her blanket, she handed her into Ritsu’s arms. 

She thought that she saw Takano pouting. 

Kisa cooed at the bundle wrapped up in a pink knitted blanket. “She's an angel! How do you make such pretty kids, Amaya-san?”

Hanako chuckled. “It's a team effort. Ryuusuke claimed that the kids take after me, but I disagree.”

Ritsu cradled Tamiko in his arms, careful to support her head. “Have you slept well, Hanako?”

“Oh yes. I'm just lucky that _both_ of my kids sleep through the night.” Hanako answered him. “Poor Ryota kept waking up when he heard his sister crying during the night. Checked up on her and everything.”

Mino chuckled. “As her older brother, his instincts kicked in.”

Hatori agreed with him. 

“My turn.” Takano held out his arms, insisting on his turn. “You've had her long enough.”

Not wanting to start a fight, Ritsu relented, Transferring Tamiko into Takano’s arms, he sighed. “ _Fine_. You're going to hog her anyway.” 

Hanako tilted her head as she observed the both of them. The loving glance Ritsu sent Takano, answered her old questions about their relationship. It was apparent from the interactions she witnessed and Ritsu falling into a parental role with Takano. 

She felt jilted.

Her own cousin didn't feel comfortable enough to admit their relationship to her. She thought they were closer than the rest of their family. Remember the overbearing nature of Ritsu’s mother, she didn't blame him for keeping this a secret.

She didn't dislike Ritsu’s ex-fiancee, but they weren't suited for one another in her opinion. Seeing Takano and Ritsu coo after her daughter, well, _their_ daughter, they fit together without a fault. 

He'll buck up the courage to admit it to her at a different moment in time. She had patience. Besides, from the longing glances they shared, it was difficult to hide from everyone. 

Their attempt at keeping their relationship a secret was plain horrible.

 


	32. Bear's New Fear

 

Yokozawa-san!”

Yokozawa turned his attention away from one of his underlings to inquire. “Yes?” He saw one of his newest employees standing at the door, holding a stack of papers in his arms.

“Takano from the Shojo department wants to see you.”

“Did he explain his reasoning? I don't think we have anything new to discuss at work. Eh...I'll see what he wants.” The guy shook his head, indicating a negative. “Where is he?”

After receiving his answer, Yokozawa went toward the vending machine down the hall. Curious about Takano’s intentions, he slowed down his pace, attempting to think of a solid reason. Takano never went out of his way to seek him out at work. He received calls where Takano explained himself and set up a spot. 

Seeing Takano in the distance, he opened his mouth, ready to greet him. “Yo Taka-”

On the first word, Takano turned around and Yokozawa paled at the sight of the pink bundle. Checking around the area, he saw no sight of Onodera _or_ Ryota. Then again, he didn't put it past them to linger in the shadows. Waiting for him to mess up on something related to the baby.

“ _Shh!_ ” Takano hissed, his sharp eyes softened when he looked down at Tamiko. “You'll wake her up from her beauty sleep.”

“Oh no. Not again.” Yokozawa cringed at the sight of the new addition to the Shojo department flock in Takano’s arms. 

According to the rumor mill, Onodera and Takano’s kids’, _real_ _mother_ , visited on the weekend to show off the baby. The Shojo department workers showed off a photo of their newest member. Laying on her stroller, an I.D was pinned to the side. Animal stickers covered the laminated personal I.D. 

He hoped these children didn't become hellraisers. Their stressful work environment didn't include a babysitting service for children to wander about. Although, Takano and Onodera made sure that Ryota stayed in line of sight. The child didn't explore or disrupt work flow whenever he visited. The rare visits where his real parents didn't require a babysitter. 

Besides, school kept Ryota away from the office building. The little boy must have developed a life outside of Takano and Onodera. 

With this newest child, a complete unknown, he hoped she didn't develop destructive habits as she grew older.

Gulping, he tried not to backtrack to his office. It seemed the real mother returned, letting Takano parade the baby around the office. He wondered how much she trusted Takano to leave her kid with him. 

Takano grinned, getting into Yokozawa’s personal space, careful in his grip on the baby. “Don't tell me you're afraid of children, Takafumi. For shame, she's such a delight. Sleeps all night according to her mother.”

Yokozawa glowered at him. “You bring your so-called kids to me on purpose to stop me from yelling at all. You're ridiculous.”

Takano pressed a kiss on Tamiko’s cheek, astounding Yokozawa at the display of affection. Tamiko’s murmured, but otherwise stayed asleep. “Not really. Your reaction to _my_ kids is just a bonus.” 

“You-”

“I'm surprised she hasn't screamed in your presence yet. Ryota cried when he saw _your_ face.”

Yokozawa controlled his outburst in time. “Don't make up scenarios. The kid only cried because I yelled at _you_.”

Takano waved it off. “Semantics.”

A faint gurgling brought the men's attention onto the baby. Eyes wide open, she stared up at Yokozawa in slight interest. After some tense moments, Tamiko stayed calm and collected. No fuss and no crying. 

For the time being, Yokozawa called this surprise meetup a success. He glared at Takano for the disgruntlement shown on his face at this baby not having cried at the sight of him. 

Though, he _still_ felt wary around babies.


	33. Family Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the last drabbles for this story. I wanted to update all of these before I forgot all about these snippets. This story has run it's course and I have enjoyed writing about a family domestic thing between these characters.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)
> 
>  
> 
> -Lucicelo

Waking up to the doorbell echoing throughout his apartment, Ritsu opened his weary eyes and rolled on his back. Processing the source of the noise, he assumed it came from his cellphone. Grabbing his cellphone from his nightstand, he removed the charger and saw an unread message from Hanako. Swiping his finger, he looked through the text message and read the words through half conscious eyes. His eyes snapped open when he realized the content.

_Hanako: Change of plans...I have to leave the kiddos with you earlier than expected. Sorry! Boss wants me to come in for more work. :rolls eye emoji:_

_Hanako: Um...we're outside. Ritsu?_

Checking the time of the messages, Onodera scrambled out of his bed, almost dropping his cellphone in the process. Yanking a shirt on himself, he hurried over to the front door as the doorbell rang again. Opening the door, Hanako jumped in surprise at his sudden arrival and she sighed in relief. Holding up Tamiko's bag, which contained her toiletries and some of Ryota's toys, she handed it into Onodera's hands.

Sheepish at their arrival, Hanako rubbed the back of her head. "I'm so sorry, Ritsu."

Onodera shook his head and waved off her concerns. He understood unfeeling bosses who called their workers in on their _day off_. Takano did more then enough of those calls to make his day miserable. "It's alright, Hanako. I get it. Bosses are always trying to layer more work onto us."

"Hi Mama Ritsu!" Ryota beamed up at his pseudo mother, he wore a baby carrier which rested Tamiko, who squealed in happiness. "Momma said that we can stay for the whole day!"

Onodera crouched down to Ryota's level and smiled. "Ready to have some fun? Did you eat breakfast before coming here?"

"Yeah! I'm ready! And yes, momma made a yummy breakfast!" Ryota cheered. "Where's Papa Takano?"

Hanako concealed her amused smile at her cousin's sudden bout of sputtering. Now that she noticed Ritsu's mannerisms when it came to Takano, she berated herself for not having seen the obvious. Her cousin sucked at keeping big secrets from those who paid attention. Anytime someone mentioned Takano, Ritsu's face went bright red and he inspected the area for any sign of the guy.

So amusing.

"Is he sleeping?" Ryota asked.

Onodera regained his bearings enough to tell him. "I-I'm not sure. Maybe?" Straightening himself on his feet, he let out a sigh. "He'll probably come over later. He doesn't usually go out on his day off. We don't have any important work at the office either."

Seeing her chance, Hanako slid in with a sly smirk. "Oh? Your boss comes to visit your apartment that often?"

"No!"

Ryota added his quip. "Yup! Papa _always_ visits when we're here! Papa said the other day that he visits when we're not here too."

" _Ryota_!" Onodera hissed in embarrassment. "You're not supposed to say that!"

Ryota pouted. "I thought I'm supposed to tell the truth and not lie to anyone. Papa comes here _all_ the time"

Hanako chuckled. "I see." She winked at her cousin. "Good to see that my children are in such good hands. Takano-san is so good with them." She crouched down, kissing the top of Ryota and Tamiko's head. "I'll try to come back before dinnertime. Grandma and grandpa are coming from Hokkaido to visit."

Ryota cheered. "Yay! Grandpa gives me the best candy!" Tamiko copied her older brother and cheered.

Onodera managed to say goodbye to Hanako before he ushered Ryota inside of the apartment. The blush stayed on his face as he settled the kids in the living room.


	34. Family Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door and pressed the doorbell. Knowing who it was, Onodera remained in his spot on the couch. Switching Tamiko onto his other knee, he waited for Takano to make his way inside. A moment passed, Takano didn't attempt to open the door and stroll right in. Surprising.

Ryota, free of Tamiko strapped to his chest, ran to the door. He maneuvered around a toy before he tripped onto the floor. "I'll get it!"

"Don't run!" Onodera exclaimed. Looking down at Tamiko, he muttered. "Please, be well behaved when you get older, Tamiko." Tamiko blew bubbles in response. "Thank you."

"Papa!" Exclaimed Ryota as Onodera heard Takano greet their son. "Ryota! You get taller every time I see you."

"Silly papa!"

Takano walked inside the living room, holding Ryota in his arms without any strain. Pressing a kiss against Ryota's temple, he placed the child back onto the ground. Ryota went to his coloring on his spot on the couch. He went toward Onodera and scooped up Tamiko from his arms. "Ah, Tamiko you look so adorable this morning."

"Ah!" She giggled when Takano blew bubbles in her cheek.

Onodera rolled his eyes. "Good timing. I almost expected you to pop out when Hanako rang my doorbell. What took you so long?"

Takano leaned down and kissed Onodera. "If you wanted my attention, all you had to do was ask."

Onodera swiped at Takano who moved out of the way in time. "Don't do that in front of the children! Ryota will report everything we do to Hanako!" Takano shrugged his shoulders as he kissed Tamiko's cheek. "Takano-san!"

Takano cooed to Tamiko. "Mama is being grouchy huh? Here I thought kisses healed all sorts of things."

Onodera rolled his eyes. "Only when the kids do it. You go _too_ far."


	35. Tea Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

Sitting on the floor, inside of his apartment, Takano adjusted the flower crown on top of his head before it fell down his back again. Finding no embarrassment in going along with Tamiko's tea parties, he jumped at the chance to play with her. When Ryota was her age, he drew pictures and _loved_ exploring. Ryota's imagination expanded an otherwise boring apartment into an adventure.

Venturing into Tamiko's interests brought a different set of rules this specific child followed with a fierce diligence. Rules that Tamiko told her usual tea party guests when she first invited them to sit at her table.

Number one: No yelling.

Number two: No swear words on front of Mama Onodera and momma. (They would confiscate the cakes and cookies.)

Number three: Talk in a fancy voice. 

And, number four: 

She enjoyed hosting the parties more than anything. Tamiko spoke in a fancy voice she heard during a movie night and almost stayed in character the whole party. Ryota and their dad amused her and tagged along at home.

Tamiko, wore a large sunhat, courtesy of her mom, poured cold tea in a teacup. She asked him with a big smile. "So? How was your day today? No headaches from working too hard?"

Takano thanked her and sipped from his tea cup. "Great. Nothing to complain about. How about you? How was school?"

Tamiko bit into her lemon cake. "Good, good. I pushed a kid down when he tried to bully me."

Takano nodded in approval. "Never let a boy push you around. He won't bother you again, I'm sure of it. Amazing job, Tamiko."

She beamed in response.

Leaning against the kitchen entrance, Onodera shook his head at Takano's response. He knew Hanako lectured Tamiko in using violence to solve her problems, but Takano had to put in his own input. This sight was almost a repeat of Ryota's problem with a bully who pushed him around. After shoving the kid back, he became one of Ryota's friends. 

Kids were so strange. 

As he watched Takano play with Tamiko, he smiled at the sight. Takano softened in the presence of the kids, more so with Tamiko. Onodera never imagined Takano being the type to sit around and sip cold tea to appease a child. Although, Takano saw himself as a parental figure to them, so Takano's actions shouldn't have shocked him. 

Tamiko broke out of character when he saw him and waved in delight. "Mama!"

Takano didn't flush or even dry to downplay his role in Tamiko's tea party. Turning his head to look up at him, Takano motioned for him to move to the empty space beside him. "Why don't you join us? Better yet, call Ryota in here. Tamiko has been telling me this amazing story about defending herself."

Tamiko giggled. "Ryo-chan knows already!"

Takano shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't hear it in the _voice_."


	36. A child's words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

"Mama?" Tamiko pulled down Onodera's pant leg.

Pausing in cutting the carrots for their dinner, he looked down at Tamiko. "Tamiko, dinner isn't done yet. It'll be ready in fifteen minutes...I think?"

Right beside him, Takano prepared the main curry components from scratch. Ever since Hanako spoke to them about homemade meals, both of them knuckled down to work on prepared actual meals when the kids came to visit them. It served to help them save money because they didn't order out or leave to eat at a restaurant.

Their first attempts, ended up _burnt_ and in the _trash_.

Takano added the rice to the rice cooker and pressed the button.

Tamiko asked him. "Why don't you live with papa?"

Onodera almost dropped the knife out of shock. "Mind repeating that please?"

Takano turned to pay attention to Tamiko. "Why do you ask?"

He set the knife on the cutting board, so no skin was nicked. He tried not to assume that Takano hinted at this _impressionable_ child that he needed to move in with him. The idea flopped quick. Takano didn't need a child to make his point. He would have said something years ago or even convinced him of this bright idea through...interesting methods.

Tamiko tilted her head to the side. "Well...I thought all mommies and daddies lived with each other. My momma and daddy live with us and they _are_ married."

Onodera scrambled to find an appropriate answer. So far, both kids didn't question the closeness he shared with Takano. They didn't care that one man was a mom and the other was the dad. His own objections in loving Takano aside, their parental set showcased a couple taking care of these kids.

Tamiko asked _way_ more questions than her older brother.

Takano answered. "I haven't proposed to mama, yet." Tamiko bounced in excitement at the news and he added in. " _Then_ , we will move in together. We might not live in this apartment complex for long. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes!" She ran out of the kitchen. "Ryo-chan! Papa is going to ask mama to marry him!" 

Onodera and Takano heard a distant. _"Really?!"_

Onodera smacked Takano's shoulder with a frown. "Why did you _lie_ to her? You're _not_ proposing to me. Honestly! This is going to spread to Hanako and Marukawa by tomorrow morning! You better talk to those kids before Hanako comes to pick them up later."

Takano watched Onodera, transitioning his gaze down to the ringless left wedding finger. The idea of displaying his connection to Onodera made his chest tingle in excitement. He never thought of marriage, but sharing a set of rings with Onodera made him smile. 

Those children sprouted the _best_ ideas out of him. 


	37. Family Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

Takano fought the urge to push Ryota down to give him an advantage in the console game he was _losing_ in.

Then again, his experience in gaming was limited to the old fashioned consoles with lackluster animation. Basic games that bored him after a _whole_ play through. Any old acquaintances found him _odd_ for _not_ wanting to immerse himself in games. Caring little about outsider opinion, he went through _his own_ hobbies, less bored on his own terms.

The game Ryota brought was a remake of another remake which showcased amazing graphics and _loud_ noises for the variety of options. A different version for this specific updated console. Takano lost track of the number attached to the newest one.  

Onodera cheered on Ryota, snickering at the way Takano tried concealing his frustration at his failure. Ryota was _beating_ Takano at Mario Kart. Not that he knew how to play these sort of games, but he found it amusing seeing Takano struggle at something. 

After a grueling minute or so, the rank of the winners showed on the screen.

Almost jumping in place, Ryota's eyes sparkled at beating his second dad at this game. "I won!"

Tamiko yelled. "Ah!"

"Congratulations!" Onodera told Ryota before he turned to Takano with a badly hidden smirk. "Takano-san, you need to practice how to drive a game car better. I thought you said this game was easy?"

Biting back a retort, Takano handed the controller into Onodera's hand and removed Tamiko from his arms. "Your turn."

"What? _Hey_!"

Despite his big smile, Ryota's eyes gleamed with promise of defeat. "Please, play with me mama! It'll be fun."

Hesitant, Onodera laughed. "I never played games, Ryota. I was more of a book kind of guy. You can always play with Takano-san again! He needs the practice!"

Ryota's lips formed a pout as he pleaded. " _Please_!"

Seeing no exit, Onodera sighed. He readied himself for an imminent defeat at the hands of a child. He came to terms with this reality. "Okay..."


	38. Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

Weeks after Tamiko's questions about their living situation, Takano patted his pocket to make sure the box stayed in place. A simple gold band with accents to signify his commitment to Onodera. Having spent more than enough time searching for a decent looking ring, he selected at random and was relieved it was perfect for his use. He saw himself _wearing_ the ring. 

He found himself _nervous_ in popping the question. His chest even clenched at the possibility of Onodera saying _no_. After years of Onodera denying their relationship, they transcended into this safe pace where nothing complicated popped at them.

No rivals.

No misunderstandings.

He thought of a decent enough place for him to do this, but nothing caught his attention. The easiest place was their office, they spent a majority of their time there.

Using one of their break times, he strolled toward Onodera and sat in the empty seat next to him. Onodera made no attempt to distance himself away from him. A good sign. Onodera stayed in a good mood for a majority of the day which gave him an opening. Digging his hand into his pocket, he removed the box from his pocket and opened it, presenting it to Onodera's line of vision. 

He didn't expect Onodera narrowing his eyes in _annoyance_. 

* * *

 When Takano removed a velvet black box from his pocket, Onodera's ire flared up in his chest. This resulted from Takano's lack of _tact_. Using their workplace as a spot for a marriage proposal didn't appeal to him for fond memories.

Might as well just propose to someone in front of their president or higher ups.

A scenario that embarrassed him more than getting engaged in their workspace. Their co-workers knew some restraint, the president spread gossip in an unrelenting span on minutes.

He assumed Takano informed Tamiko of a proposal to cease anymore questions. Their pseudo daughter tended to go overboard to find her answers and to their patience, they answered _every_ _single_ _one_. 

"No."

Takano arched a brow at Onodera's swift response. "I haven't even _asked_ the question."

" _Not here_." Onodera rolled his eyes. "If you're going to propose, do it behind closed doors. This is _not_ a spectacle." He motioned to Kisa's attentive eyes peeking at them from his a stack of books. "Ask me during dinner. Now, hide the damn thing. Kisa will expose this with a snap of his fingers." 


	39. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

Changing apartments brought a whole new set of problems between the newly engaged couple.

Nothing fight inducing enough to break their happiness bubble.

Calling dibs on a preferred side of the bed.

Once Takano and Onodera finished unpacking the possessions they decided to keep, they brought in their new washed sheets and made up their bed. Eating a quick take out dinner, due to fact they were too tired to cook. They shared a shower because of impatience and exhaustion. Even sharing a kiss or two as they stumbled back into the bedroom.

When Takano pulled back the comforter, he tried moving into the left side of the bed. Even through his half sleepy glazed mind, Onodera wrapped his arms around Takano's waist, keeping him from going any further.

"Onodera?"

"You're not taking that side of the bed."

Takano furrowed his brows. "Why? Look, I'm tired, you're tired. Let's just go to bed."

"I don't think so!" Onodera insisted as he failed in pulling Takano off of the bed.

Takano let himself be guided off the bed before things escalated. "Onodera..."

"I like the left side of the bed." Onodera told Takano as he released Takano and tried getting on the bed himself. Takano grabbed Onodera's waist, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm used to putting the bed against the corner where I liked having the wall to my back. I want the left side!"

"I don't think so. We don't have the bed in a corner, it's in the middle of the room." Takano kept his grip on Onodera's waist. "I want the left side."

"No!" Onodera huffed.

Takano pinched Onodera's sides, making his fiancé squeak. "If you're trying to make me fight for that side, I _will_ do it."

"Yeah right."

"Don't make me get to that point." Takano leaned down and bit into Onodera's neck.

Before Takano tried anything else, Onodera suggested. "Let's meet in the middle and switch the side of the bed depending on who gets the bed first. I don't think...we ever cuddled in bed before." Takano opened his mouth to speak. "Post coital cuddling _doesn't_ count."

Seeing an easy compromise, Takano relented. "Alright."

Takano laid out an arm and Onodera scooted closer until they maneuvered into a comfortable position. Onodera wrapped an arm around Takano's chest and Takano pulled Onodera real close to his body.

"It's nice. Why haven't we done this before?"

Onodera pressed his cheek against Takano's chest. "I know. We should do this more often." Closing his eyes, he smiled when he admitted. "I like spending time with you."

Takano's face flushed as he stared down at the top of Onodera's head. "A-Are you being sarcastic?"

Onodera's cheek warmed up as he stuttered. "Y-You're ruining the moment! Stop talking!"


	40. Wedding Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you like what you read, consider donating to my kofi! The link is through here: [Lucicelo's Kofi](https://ko-fi.com/A7564AN5)

**Wedding Day**

Onodera blinked away his tears. "We watched her grow up. Look at her, she's getting married now. The years passed too fast. _We're old._ " Sniffling, he leaned against Takano's chest, bringing the man to lean forward and kiss his cheek.

In the background, Ryuusuke cried his sadness over his last child leaving the nest. Hanako patted his back with an understanding smile. Although, she kept dabbing her eyes so the tears didn't ruin her makeup.

Ryota, used his dad's dramatics, tried hard not to snicker through turning toward his attention to Mahiro. Mahiro's teary eyes at the ceremony proceedings brought a fondness to Ryota's expression. They interlaced their fingers and kept watch as Tamiko recited her vows.

Noticing their son, Takano held on tighter to Onodera. "Next, we'll have Ryota marrying that Takahashi boy."

Onodera smiled light. "I wouldn't be surprised. Takahashi-san has hinted at doing a ceremonial wedding sort of vows. A spiritual wedding. Ryota wants to go international in order to call Mahiro his _husband_."

Takano scoffed, not at all putting any meaning to his words. "And we have the time and money for a destination wedding how?"

Onodera playfully rolled his eyes. " _Oh_ , we have time. We always make time for either one of them."

"True." Takano stated. "We're losing them, _again_."

Onodera turned around and peered up at Takano. "You said the same thing when they left for university. We're not losing them forever. We just don't see them as often anymore. Besides, they text both sets of parents all the time." He chuckled. "I thought I was going to be the sad one here."

Keeping his arms around Onodera, Takano sighed.

"We're hopeless."

Reaching up his hand, Onodera tussled Takano's short hair. Fringe almost gone, exposing silver hairs throughout the pitch black strands, he liked the look on his lover. "You know...I'm happy we became parental figures to them."

"How so?"

Onodera's face pinked when he admitted. "We ended up back together at a more gradual rate. I got to know you far deeper this time. You have to admit, they made interactions less...strained?"

Takano chuckled. "Adults can't get into spats around children. They are impressionable little people who copy everything." He pulled Onodera closer to his chest, their bodies molding just right. Leaning down, their lips almost touched for a kiss.

Cheers filled their group of people, breaking the couple from their moment. Sharing a good natured laugh, they turned and watched Tamiko and her husband wave at the crowd. Tamiko located them in the crowd, beaming in utter happiness, waving her bouquet. Her husband stared at her, _love struck_ and devoted to his new wife.

Onodera and Takano received news of a grandchild the following year.


End file.
